


Lover's Façade

by bulletincookie



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fake Dating, Human AU, M/M, More like actor AU I guess but that doesn't matter much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-01-09 14:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12278469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulletincookie/pseuds/bulletincookie
Summary: Living with an actor as renowned as Francis Bonnefoy is almost everyone's wildest dream. For João, it's filled with sacrifices. Of course a loss of privacy was to be expected, but the romance allegations were more than he had signed up for. Tired of the rumors and constant prodding from paparazzi, João was willing to prove to everyone that he and Francis had nothing going on. Even if it means making the first man he sees as his "official" beau.





	1. Free Lunch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Or maybe for the first time! I got inspired by a bunch of fake dating prompts I read on tumblr and decided to apply my own story to spaport, even if it's a heavily overused and cliche topic. I like cheesy cliche stories, hopefully you do too! 
> 
> Thank you to sinunamor for the title and summary! Once again João Santos Medeiros is the name I use for Portugal. I hope you enjoy reading! (/owo)/

“In latest news, Francis Bonnefoy was seen again earlier this week with his agent João Santos, the two having what looked like a romantic dinner over--”

João shut off the tv, an unamused look on his face. “I don't understand what their obsession over the thought of us being together is,” he grumbled as he laid down on the rich leather couch. 

“Well, usually an agent is not so involved in the life of an actor. They usually do not live with each other either,” Francis pointed out, nudging João's legs off so he could sit down next to him. João didn't get the hint though, and his lower half hung off the couch as his torso and arms were twisted slightly to hang over the arm of the couch.

“It’s not my fault it's cheaper to live with you instead. I wouldn't be able to afford a fancy place like this on my own,” João reasoned, giving a half hearted gesture to the decorated living room that was just a small piece of the ridiculously large penthouse that Francis rented. João actually would've preferred something smaller and more humble, but he knew there was no way he'd get such a beautiful view of the city in a humble abode.

“Speaking of which, it's your turn to get groceries,” Francis said, poking João's back. João groaned and slowly slid off the couch until he was laying on the floor. 

“I'm going to get bothered ten times about my relationship with you though,” João complained. 

“Then tell them you are already dating someone else in secret to shake them off!” Francis offered as he gave João a nudge with his foot. “Come on, get up. It's just a quick trip to the store. I even made a list for you.”

João whined in complaint again but got up anyways and dusted himself off. Francis always wondered how, despite how much money he had and despite working for an actor known for his fashion, João always insisted on wearing such plain clothes. 

“You should at least put on something nicer,” Francis tried to suggest, but João only rolled his eyes.

“It's just a quick trip to the store,” João mocked, poorly imitating a French accent. 

“João, you're supposed to at least try to represent me. We're going to keep getting harsh criticism if you go out in that,” Francis pointed out, gesturing to the plain t shirt and sweatpants that João wore. João groaned but reluctantly shuffled off into his room, coming back out a minute later in a button down and slacks. 

“Better,” Francis decided after giving him a once over. 

“I look like I am about to go to a business meeting,” João complained as he got his shoes on. 

“You look wonderful,” Francis assured him. “Don't forget the grocery list.”

João waved him off and grabbed the grocery list, along with his phone, wallet, and keys. “I'll be back soon,” he called back before heading out of the penthouse and taking the elevator down. 

It wasn't a very long walk to the store, and it was surprisingly quiet with no interruptions. Maybe people didn't care as much now, it was old news. It wasn't like he was an actual celebrity, he wasn't even that well known outside of the gossip. João took the list out and strolled around the store as he collected everything in a basket, getting the heavier items first and leaving the bread for last. 

He searched around for the specific brand of whole grain bread that he and Francis preferred. Health was important in the acting industry after all, Francis had to look good for the screen and João had to match him.

He found the bread and reached up for the one of the few last loafs just as a hand swiped all of them away. He looked with a sharp glare at the other man, who stared back with wide eyes and clutched the loaves to his chest as if they were gold. João opened his mouth to retort at how rude he was, but the other man beat him to it. 

“I'll give you a free sandwich from my stand if you let me have these,” the stranger promised quickly. “I run a stand. This is the best selling bread, I need it before the lunch rush.”

Well, he wasn't about to turn down a free lunch. “It better be the best sandwich in the world,” João relented, not softening his glare. The other man brightened up. 

“You can't miss it, it's hooked up to my bike. It's just down the road from here, when you leave this place just go to the right,” he explained before turning and hurrying off. João sighed and checked the list to make sure he got everything else before going to check out. He left the store, planning on taking the bags back first before getting his free sandwich, but he was stopped by an excited young lady holding a notepad with another young lady behind her with a camera. 

"Excuse me, are you João Santos?" she asked.

"Yes, why?" João asked, mentally slapping himself for saying that he was. 

"Can you confirm or deny the rumors that you are in a relationship with Francis Bonnefoy?"

João gave her a polite smile, but internally groaned. "No, I'm not," he said. "I've stated it many times before."

"Then how do you explain--"

"I live with him for convenience," João interrupted, knowing exactly what she was going to ask.

"Does that mean you're single then?" she asked.

João hesitated, thinking back to what Francis said earlier. Well, he could at least try to shake them off. "Er...no. I am seeing someone," he said, immediately regretting it from the gasp he got. "Can I go now? I have groceries I need to--"

"Hey, it's you!" a voice from behind said. The young man from earlier came out of the store and hurried over to João, his own groceries in a bag hanging from his arm. João let out a heavy sigh when the man came over and grabbed his arm. 

"Come on, I can show you where my stand is!" the young man said as he started to pull João away. The journalist surprisingly didn't follow them, and João sighed in relief. After they walked away a little, the man let go of João and slowed down.

"Sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked, inspecting João's arm for bruising. João looked at him confused and shook his head. 

"No, what was that all about? Why the rush?" he asked, seeing the stand attached to a cheap bicycle up ahead.

"Well, I just saw how uncomfortable you looked, and I wanted to give you your free sandwich as soon as possible anyways," the young man explained. "If I didn't give you your free sandwich today I might have forgotten."

João smiled and walked up to the stand with him, watching him unlock everything and unload his groceries into everything in the stand. 

"So what would you like?" he asked. 

João thought it over briefly before instructing him what he wanted. With his sandwich in hand, he turned about to leave, but the other man stopped him.

"Wait one minute," he said frantically, ducking under the stand for something. João stopped and turned, realizing he didn't know his name.

"I don't think I got your name," he said, and the man brightened up and poked his head back above the counter to smile at him.

"I'm Antonio, and you?" he asked. João hesitated briefly before sighing.

"João," he said, surprised when Antonio stood up and offered him a business card. 

"Nice to meet you João," he said. "Feel free to come back. Well, come back with money. I can't go giving out a lifetime of free sandwiches to every attractive person that crosses my path."

João smirked, not thinking much of the comment, and pocketed the card. He took out his wallet and gave Antonio one of his cards in return. He didn't often give out his card, but he didn't want to be rude. Antonio looked at the card in a mix of surprise and confusion, but João didn't have much time to think about it. 

João turned and hurried back to his and Francis' penthouse, frowning when he saw that Francis had left while he was out. Well, it wasn't unusual for Francis to be in and out. He was almost too popular. 

Once he finished putting away the groceries, he sat down at the table to enjoy his sandwich. He took out the business card that Antonio gave him and nearly choked. 

It wasn't a business card, it was just a regular small piece of thick paper with only a phone number and “Call me” written on it. 

João hesitated for several seconds as he thought about what to do. As if right on cue, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, wheezing when he saw it wasn't a number in his contact list. He reluctantly opened it up and read it. 

‘Hey, this is Antonio from the sandwich stand! Have you eaten your sandwich? Do you like it?’ the text read. João stared at it for several seconds, wondering if he could try to pass it off as a wrong number. No, his business card was too official, there was no way it could be passed off as a fake number. He didn't have much time to think before another text came in, this one from Francis. 

‘I'm going to be having an old friend over for dinner, please have it ready by six.’

João groaned at the text and turned his phone off so he could think. Well, at least he just got groceries, so there was plenty of options, and at least it gave him to reason to forget about Antonio's text and never respond to him again. He tossed around ideas in his head for the rest of his lunch and then started getting everything ready. 

When he finished up he kept it hot on the stove as he waited for six o’clock to finally come. He paced around, tried to watch TV, tried to busy himself with social media, anything to keep from answering Antonio's text. It didn't help that Antonio periodically kept sending more texts asking if this was the right number, if his texts were going through, and if he accidentally poisoned João with his sandwich. João felt bad for ignoring him but he couldn't let it get out that he gave out his personal number so flippantly. 

When he heard the warning that the elevator was coming up he rushed to get everything served, including wine. 

“Perfect timing as always,” he called over his shoulder when he heard the door open, even though it wasn't really perfect timing.

“This is where I live with my agent, let me introduce you to him,” he heard Francis say, some hushed, clearly amazed, words following after from what João assumed was his friend. João straightened up and screwed the lid back on the bottle of wine as Francis came into the dining room. 

He felt his heart stop and nearly dropped the bottle of wine when he saw who it was that was Francis’ “friend”. Standing there was no other than Antonio.


	2. Not So Free Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAA thank you so much everyone for so much support! I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the previous one, but it's for a good cause! And that good cause is drama.

Almost an eternity seemed to pass between them as João stared silently and Antonio smiled brightly back at him.

“Hey it's you!” Antonio said before Francis had the chance to introduce them.

“Oh, do you two know each other already?” Francis asked, a pleased smile on his face. João was standing there as still as a rock, speechless.

“I took some bread from him earlier at the store, but I gave him a free sandwich for it,” Antonio explained. “Did you get my text? How did you like the sandwich?”

João finally got his bearings and cleared his throat. “It was alright,” he said.

“Well, let's not let our dinner get cold!” Francis said with a clap of his hands. João nodded and sat down, with Francis and Antonio soon following.

The dinner went very smoothly, with Francis and Antonio catching up from when they had last seen each other and also gossiping about people they used to go to school with and where they were now. João stayed silent throughout the first half, but after a while Francis focused on him and gave him a mischievous smile.

“So I heard that you're dating someone,” Francis joked, and João frowned at him, about to snap at him for teasing him about what he was told to say, but Antonio beat him to it.

“You're not single?” he asked, looking at him wide eyed. “I'm so sorry, I thought you weren’t taken and I didn't realize you were so out of my league so I thought I might have a chance with you so that's why I--”

He stopped when Francis and João started laughing, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Francis calmed down first and rested a hand on Antonio's shoulder.

“Antonio relax, he's not seeing anyone,” he assured him, but hesitated and looked at João. “You aren't, correct? I must know if you are, you realize.”

João rolled his eyes and took a sip of wine. “No, I'm not,” he said. “I would not stoop so low as to knowingly cheat on someone like that.”

“What?” Antonio asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“It's nothing important,” João muttered, his own cheeks tinged red from embarrassment.

“What, are you ashamed of me?” Francis teased.

“It's nothing he needs to know,” João retorted.

“Well now I do need to know because I'm confused!” Antonio whined.

“João and I use each other to, ah, relax and let off sexual tension,” Francis explained bluntly.

Antonio nodded in agreement and smiled. “That makes sense. So friends with benefits,” he said, surprisingly not fazed by the info. João briefly wondered if he and Francis were in a similar situation at one point, or if he was just that open minded. He cleared his throat to wave the thought away and gave Francis a sharp look.

“Yes, but it's not supposed to be public,” he muttered. “There's already plenty of rumors around us dating, they don't need more fuel for the fire.”

“There are?” Antonio asked. Francis and João gave him a surprised look.

“It's absolutely everywhere on the cheap gossip magazines,” Francis sighed.

“Oh, I don't keep up with that kind of stuff,” Antonio said with a shrug.

“Never get into it,” João muttered. “It rots your brain. Makes you stupid.” He frowned when Antonio gave a forced chuckle and stared down at his plate as he went back to eating. João looked at Francis for some explanation of the sudden change in mood, but Francis looked just as confused as he did.

“Antonio, is everything alright?” Francis asked.

“Yes,” Antonio replied.

“That doesn’t sound like an alright answer,” João scoffed. “Come on, don’t ruin this already. What the hell has gotten you so worked up?”

Antonio cleared his throat and looked back up, a smile on his face. “Nothing, don’t worry,” he assured them. Francis and João were unconvinced, having been around actors long enough to know a fake smile from a real one.

“Antonio, please. We just want to help,” Francis said gently, giving a sharp look to João when João looked ready to cut in with a blunt remark. Antonio sighed and poked at his food with his fork.

“It’s really nothing,” he muttered. “I’ve just...gotten called stupid already by a lot of people. Even my customers.”

“What? Hang on you little shit, I didn’t call you stupid. I just said the gossip magazines will make you stupid,” João said, his brow furrowing. “...Why do people call you stupid?” he asked, digging deeper despite the look Francis gave him to stop.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because I dropped out of university and now I’m running a sandwich shop on the corner of whatever street I park my bike at, panhandling off of people that are a lot smarter and more successful than me?” Antonio said, his biting sarcasm even making João flinch back slightly.

“Oh,” João mumbled, scrambling for the right words. Francis beat him to it.

“Antonio, you’re not stupid at all. You’re running your own business, and you obviously make enough to be able to afford somewhere to live. It’s not cheap living in Los Angeles after all,” Francis pointed out. Antonio brightened up slightly at his words and rubbed at one of his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s-- that’s true I guess,” he muttered. “My apartment is really bad, but at least I can afford it.”

Francis gave João a hopeful smile, though there was a dark threat lingering in his eyes that if João ruined the mood he’d be kicked out for the night. João gave a small cough and took a sip of his wine before speaking up as well.

“And, uh, about the people smarter and more successful,” he muttered. “A lot of people that are more famous and richer than you are stupid as hell. None of them would be able to last a day doing what you do. I know I certainly wouldn’t.”

“I wouldn’t either,” Francis agreed with a small nod. João and he both knew that he was definitely charismatic and good looking enough to be able to do it, but that wouldn’t have helped Antonio’s mood at all. Antonio smiled proudly, not knowing this, and gave Francis a tight hug.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Anytime,” Francis assured him, and João mumbled in agreement.

The rest of the dinner went off with no more problems, with Antonio and Francis going back to joking around. João occasionally added a remark or two, but otherwise kept out of it to let the two friends catch up with each other.

Once it was all over, the dishes were put in the dishwasher to be washed and goodbyes were said quickly. João spent the rest of the evening working and going through his email. He grabbed his phone and took it with him to his room to get ready for bed. When he plugged it in, it lit up, telling him of a text he got from Antonio’s number again. He frowned and opened it up to read it.

‘ _Sorry, I didn’t realize you were so out of my league. I’ll delete your phone number and leave you_ _alone </3.’_

The oddly depressing text confused João and he sighed heavily. Well, so much for dinner going well like he and Francis thought. Not one for dropping connections that could result in more free food, he decided to try to salvage it.

‘ _Do you want to go out on a date?’_  Smooth as a river.

He waited for a reply, and when he didn’t get one within a few minutes he started to get frustrated. He paced around the room, took a bath to try to pass the time, and then distracted himself with playing games on his phone. When he realized it was almost 3 in the morning, he sighed heavily and set his phone back down on the nightstand. Well, so much for that.

He laid down and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately from exhaustion finally taking over. He was so tired that he didn’t even notice his phone obnoxiously ding several times three hours later with a flurry of new texts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee I wonder what those texts say? Actually even I don't know yet, I haven't written it yet. Oops. 
> 
> The next chapter will come out faster though and hopefully will be a little longer to make up for the slightly shorter chapter this time! As always, kudos and/or leave a comment if you liked it, or if you want to yell at me for being a terrible writer that relies on over cliche tropes and plots. Either works, as long as it's constructive! (/owo)/


	3. A "Date"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised I'd have this chapter out faster and I did! Except it's longer than the first two chapters combined. "But Cookie, you said this was a fake dating fic! That's not fake!" Are you sure? :3c
> 
> But anyways, thank you so much to sinunamor and salytierra for the help! My writing would be really rough without proofreading :')

When Antonio had woken up early that morning, the last thing he was expecting was a text from Francis’ very attractive agent asking him on a date. He screamed into his pillow from joy, and his dog lifted his head up to see what was going on, his tail swishing over the blankets in excitement. Antonio smiled brightly and gently ruffled the dog’s ears.

“I got a date Sancho!” he exclaimed. “You should see him! He’s so handsome, the moment I saw him I swooned!” He laughed as the dog looked at him cluelessly, but still continued wagging his tail.

“Oh, what do you care? You’re just a dog,” he teased. “But I’m sure you’ll love him! Oh, I hope he loves animals too. I’m sure he does, he’s so kind! Anyone with a kind heart like his must love animals!” He gasped when he realized he didn’t reply back yet. So he quickly swiped up his phone, and with still trembling fingers, tried to type out his reply as best he could.

_‘YSE’_

_‘YES’_

_‘OF COURSE I WNAT TO GO ON A DATEWITH YOU!’_

_‘You did mean with you right’_

_‘Where do you want to go?’_

_‘Wait no I want to surprise you I know the perfect place’_

_‘Be ready tonight at 10, I’ll come pick you up’_

_‘We can reschedule if you can’t make it’_

Antonio stopped and looked at Sancho. “Do you think that eight texts is enough?” he asked, then gasped. “Oh no, what if he thinks I'm trying to order him around? I don't want him thinking I'm a strict guy, nobody wants to date strict guys!” So he quickly sent a winking face to him. “Do you think a wink is good enough?” he asked. “I want him to know that I'm a friendly guy.” When Sancho tilted his head to the side, Antonio laughed.

“Alright, alright. Let’s get you some breakfast,” he teased, putting his phone to the side. He got up and got some clothes on, then trailed into the small kitchen area. He nearly tripped several times over Sancho, who was panting and trying his best to stay as close to Antonio's legs as he could.

“Hey, move Churro,” Antonio laughed, giving Sancho a small nudge with his foot. Sancho bounded over to his food bowl, panting as he watched Antonio expectantly. Antonio grinned and got out some leftover chicken. He heated it up and set it in the food bowl, gently rubbing Sancho’s back as Sancho dug in.

“You're always such a bright start to my day Sancho,” Antonio cooed. “Yes you are, you're just the sweetest, fattest churro. I don't know what I'd do without you.” He left Sancho alone to his breakfast as he fixed himself something to eat. Once he was ready to go, he hooked Sancho up to his leash and ruffled his ears again.

“Ready to go see Feli?” he asked. He grinned when Sancho gave him a couple of licks to his cheeks. “Aw alright, no petsitting for today. You can come with me to work,” he cooed, grabbing Sancho’s food and water bowls. “No stealing any sandwiches though!” he scolded lightly, but couldn't help but laugh again when Sancho gave his hand a lick.

Soon he had Sancho’s leash wound around his wrist to keep him close as he carefully biked his sandwich stand down the street. He went slow so there was no risk of Sancho getting tugged by his collar, even though Sancho obediently trotted by his side the entire time. He set up at his usual corner and made sure Sancho’s leash was securely tied to his bike, which was locked to a post. He opened everything up and started his day.

Mornings were usually slow, so much so that Antonio had wondered multiple times if he should start offering coffee to get some more money in, but today it seemed to go by in an instant. He spent all of his time in between orders daydreaming of how he should dress, what he needed to get in preparation for that night, and how he should act with João. He rambled off his thoughts out loud to Sancho when he had breaks.

“Do you think I should be casual? I don't know, he and Francis are rich, you should've seen their place! It was like something straight out of a movie!” he sighed, but then perked up. “Oh, that's it! You're a genius Sancho, I should definitely be casual! It'll be just like those romance movies!” he exclaimed, his eyes practically sparkling at the idea. “Like those rich women that have to act uptight but want to just let loose and be able to be themselves for one night! Vale, I bet he's just waiting around for a nice country boy-- er, sandwich guy, that he can run away with! Oh, it'll be so romantic Sancho!” he cheered, his mood lifted even more. “I just hope I don't turn out to be his long lost brother, that would be weird!” he joked. He laughed as Sancho panted at him in response and he blew him a kiss.

“Thanks for helping me out Sancho. You're my best wingman,” he cooed. He then perked back up and paid more attention as a kid rushed over to pet Sancho, an exasperated woman trailing behind with another kid. She apologized and was about to walk off with her kids, but both of them cried and complained they wanted a sandwich, so she bought them sandwiches from Antonio. Antonio wondered if he should bring Sancho along more often. It did seem like he was getting more people that day. People would come up to pet Sancho and while they were there, they would remember they were hungry and buy a sandwich, or Antonio's bright and cheery mood was infectious and they would come chat and buy a sandwich anyways. By the end of the day, the boosted sales were obvious and Antonio was kneeling down, just about to close up when one more person came up. He internally groaned but put on a smile anyways as he paused in his locking up and stood back up.

“Hello, what can I--” he stopped, a much wider and more genuine smile crossing his face when he saw it was João. “João!” he exclaimed. “I'm so glad to see you! Did you get my texts?”

João looked taken aback by the sudden excitement but sighed and gave a small smile. “Yeah, I got them,” he said. He flinched back when Sancho tried to get closer to sniff him. “Isn't it a health code violation to have your dog this close to your sandwich stand? What if someone's allergic or if his fur gets in their food? Aren't golden retrievers notorious for shedding everywhere?” he asked with a grimace. Antonio pouted and gave Sancho a small pat.

“He’s been good, and I haven't gotten any complaints,” he defended. João looked unconvinced, but shrugged.

“Whatever you say,” he muttered. He shuffled closer and reached out, letting Sancho sniff his fingers first before he lightly scratched behind his ears. Antonio gave João another smile as he got everything out for João’s sandwich.

“The same as yesterday?” he asked. João gave him a silent nod and kept petting Sancho carefully as Antonio made his sandwich. He tried to pull away, but Sancho followed him and even tried to pull the bike with him to follow João and keep getting attention. João couldn’t help but have a small smile tug at his lips when he saw that and he moved closer so that Sancho didn’t accidentally choke himself. Once Antonio finished his sandwich he put a little heart on the wrapper and held it out to João.

“I'll see you at ten,” he said, giving João a wink. João gave him another small smile and waved goodbye to him as he took his sandwich and walked off swiftly, no doubt to go continue on his busy day. Antonio locked up for good this time and biked back home with Sancho, though Sancho whined a few times and tried to follow the way that João went.

When he got back, he got all of his supplies and ice back upstairs into his refrigerator and freezer with Sancho obediently trotting up and down the stairs with him until he was finished. Antonio flopped onto his couch and squealed as he hugged a pillow to his chest.

“Sancho, did you see the way he smiled at me? Ay, I feel like a schoolgirl!” he laughed, setting his pillow aside to give Sancho a hug. He checked his phone and gasped. “I better get ready. It's a long ride to Francis’ place!” he said. He got up and took a shower, then changed into his nicest casual clothes, which were basically like the rest of his clothes but they weren't completely covered in Sancho’s fur and were free of various stains from sauces and juices. He used just a little bit of gel in his hair to get it looking exactly the way he wanted, packed a blanket and plenty of snacks in a plastic bag, and finally deemed himself ready to go. He was about to leave, but thought better of it and grabbed two wine glasses and a fancy bottle of wine that he had been saving for a special occasion. Just because he was going to be casual didn’t mean he couldn’t try to be a little fancy. He wanted only the best to present to João.

He grabbed the extra seat for his bike and took it downstairs with him along with everything else. He made sure it was on securely and set the blanket, snacks, and wine inside the sandwich stand before biking all the way over to the high-rise building that held Francis and João’s penthouse.

Once he got there, he took a few minutes to regain his breath before pulling out his phone and checking himself in its camera once more before sending João a text.

_‘Hey I’m outside, come out when you’re ready <3’_

He put his phone away and waited patiently, whistling a light tune as time passed. He didn’t mind how long João took, he was surely a busy man with many things to do. His heart nearly skipped a beat when João finally strode out, dressed up in a suit and tie with his hair pulled back with a ribbon.

João paused when he came out and saw Antonio there with his bike and sandwich stand. He frowned, clearly having misjudged the man. He should’ve seen it coming, Antonio did mention he didn’t have too much money after all. He sighed and walked over, managing a half smile.

“So, we’re taking your bike?” he asked, glancing at the second seat of the bike. Antonio smiled brightly, thinking of João’s hesitation as shyness. He patted the extra seat in invitation.

“Of course! Don’t worry, you don’t need to pedal at all. Just hold onto me,” he explained, mentally patting himself on the back for how romantic he thought he was being. João on the other hand barely held back a grimace as he gingerly sat on the extra seat and rested his hands lightly on Antonio’s shoulders.

“No need to be shy, you can hold onto my waist,” Antonio teased, giving him a wink over his shoulder. He found João’s hesitance adorable, and wondered briefly if he was so hardworking that he never had time for dating. How romantic, he’d be able to show João what it truly meant to have a good time and go on dates!

“I’m fine like this, thanks,” João replied flatly. He silently wondered why he agreed to this. Maybe he should’ve just tried being friends with Antonio. Regular friends still got free sandwiches, right? But then that wouldn’t have been enough to shake the gossip off of him. The thought of finally being able to go out whenever he wanted in whatever he wanted made him grip onto Antonio’s shoulders a little tighter as Antonio started to pedal down the street.

Antonio tried a few times to make conversation, but the wind pulled his words away and the loud clattering of the sandwich shop also made it impossible when he tried going slower. He felt bad, since he wanted João to be comfortable around him and be able to talk about all of his worries. João couldn’t have been more thankful.

They rode for a long time, and every time Antonio stopped to take a break and drink some water João asked if this was really where their date was. He was both relieved and worried every time Antonio told him it wasn’t. As they rode down the streets, he wondered if Antonio was planning on killing him. He subtly pulled out his phone and sent a text to Francis.

_‘I think Antonio is planning on killing me, he won’t tell me where we’re going.’_

The text that came back in reply didn’t help much.

_‘Stop worrying so much, Antonio wouldn’t hurt anyone. Try to have fun.’_

João sighed heavily and put his phone back in the inside of his jacket so he could lightly hold onto Antonio again, his heart beating a little harder than usual from paranoia. Antonio on the other hand felt like his heart was going to burst from excitement.

He finally stopped and looked over his shoulder at João, his smile almost as bright as the bright, glaring lights that shone up above.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“Antonio, this is...a parking lot,” João said, his brow furrowing. “The store isn’t even open at this time. What the hell.”

“Well, the parks and a lot of things are closed, and it’s too far of a ride to the city limits, so I thought this was the next best thing!” Antonio explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He got off the bike and opened up his sandwich stand to pull out the blanket and lay it over the dark asphalt.

João watched in disbelief as Antonio got all of the snacks and the wine out and wondered if it was too late to fake sick and go back to the comfort of Francis’ penthouse. Antonio sat down cross-legged on the blanket and patted the spot next to him, and João lamented the realization that yes, it was too late to fake sick.

“Come on, don’t be shy! It’s very comfortable,” Antonio assured him. João stayed put on the bike for several moments before sighing and reluctantly sitting down next to him. The blanket was very plush, but it was hard to ignore the fact that it was an obnoxiously bright orange and on the ground. He wondered if it was illegal to have a picnic in a parking lot, but his thoughts were cut off by Antonio nearly shoving a glass of wine under his nose.

“Here, have it. It’s my best bottle,” Antonio said proudly. João cautiously took it and sipped at it, having to turn his head and act like he heard something to hide his grimace. The wine tasted cheap, and if it weren’t for the bottle having been opened right in front of him he would’ve thought it was boxed. He held the glass loosely in his hand, thinking it couldn’t get any worse, but he saw the food that Antonio had prepared for them. He was thankful he decided to eat that sandwich before leaving. There was a sandwich bag of most likely cold churros, some oranges, and an unopened bag of cheap chocolates.

Antonio watched João carefully with a proud smile. He hoped João liked what he had brought. Sure he had made the churros last night, he had planned to bring them with him to dinner as a gift but had forgotten them, but they were still good. The oranges were fresh too, and he was glad he had splurged a bit and gotten the chocolates yesterday at the store. They were perfect for this date, they would go well with the wine.

João stared at the pitiful “meal” and wondered if he should’ve insisted on picking where to go. He would’ve been willing to pay, even if it was just a three star restaurant. Sure he would’ve looked strange, sitting in a cheap restaurant in a suit and tie, but it would’ve been much better than his current situation. Antonio held an orange out to him, having already peeled it for him.

“You’re not allergic to oranges, right? They’re my favorite fruit,” he said happily.

“Er, no. I’m not allergic,” João said, hesitantly taking the orange. At least it gave him an excuse to set the shitty wine off to the side. He pulled out a piece and popped it into his mouth.

“What’s your favorite fruit?” Antonio asked curiously. João frowned and finished his piece of orange before answering.

“...I guess oranges aren’t that bad,” he shrugged, not wanting to think too hard about the question even though Antonio gasped at realizing they had the same favorite fruit. João hoped that if he answered the questions as passively as possible, the “date” would be over faster. He wanted to forget that he was sitting on top of an obnoxiously bright orange blanket, dressed up like he was going to go to a movie premier with Francis, but instead eating an orange and drinking shitty wine. On the ground. In a parking lot.

“So how come you thought coming here was a good idea?” he asked, having to use all of his will to not sound rude. “I wouldn’t have minded going over to your place for a meal.”

“Because isn’t this so much more unique and fun?” Antonio asked, a wide smile on his face.

“It’s something alright,” João muttered as he popped another piece of orange into his mouth. “But, ah, I need to be back by midnight.”

“Why? Are you going to turn back to a poor maid?” Antonio joked, winking at him. João stared back blankly.

“No, I have an important meeting early in the morning and I need to be well rested for it,” he explained. He didn’t, he always slept in late in the mornings, which drove Francis crazy, but it obviously was a good enough lie to convince Antonio.

“I’ll make sure to get you back home extra quick then!” Antonio promised with a determined nod. It would have been charming, if he hadn’t been in the middle of munching on a cold churro when he was talking. The churros weren’t as good as when they’re fresh and warm, Antonio silently noted. That didn’t mean they were bad. He offered one to João, smiling brightly when João took it with a sheepish smile. His shyness was so cute!

João had to force a smile onto his face to keep from grimacing at the cold churro offered to him. He wasn’t even done with his orange yet, he was trying to savor it since it was probably the most reliable thing to eat there. He took the churro and took a hesitant bite out of it. It wasn’t bad, of course, but it was far from being good. It could have been worse, it could have been burnt too, but he tried to take large bites of it to finish it as quickly as possible.

Antonio felt so pleased when he saw João eat the churro with such gusto. “Here, have another. I have plenty,” he offered, holding the sandwich bag out to him.

“No thank you. I’m still not very hungry from the sandwich you made me earlier,” João muttered, taking a sip of wine to try to wash the taste out of his mouth and instantly regretting it. He took another piece of orange to try to cover up both mistakes.

“Oh, how did you like it? I didn’t mess up on it right?” Antonio asked, his eyes lighting up. “You came right before I was about to close. Not that I minded of course, I could’ve been on my way home and I still would have stopped to make you a sandwich!” he joked, laughing softly.

João gave a halfhearted chuckle in response as he continued to eat his orange. The rest of the “date” was just Antonio trying his hardest to get into a conversation with João, and João constantly avoiding giving answers that would lead to more questions and avoiding eating anything other than the oranges and an occasional piece of cheap chocolate. It seemed like Antonio was happy no matter what João did though, so at least that wasn’t too bad.

João sighed in relief when he checked his phone and realized it was half an hour to midnight. It seemed like it had been much longer than just an hour and a half that he had been with Antonio. For Antonio, it felt like it had passed by in a second.

“I should get back,” João said, clearing his throat as he stood up. He braced himself as he tossed back the rest of his wine, coughing a couple of times from the slight burn. Whatever the alcohol content, it wasn’t nearly enough for him to deal with what just happened.

Antonio quickly packed up everything back in the stand and took João back to Francis’ penthouse on his bike as fast as he could. “Thank you, I hope you had as much fun as I did,” he said. João gave a small hum as he checked his phone and glanced back at Antonio.

“Yeah. I should, uh, get upstairs now,” he said, getting off the bike.

Antonio didn’t know what came over him, he suddenly got up too and grabbed João’s hand. “Have a good night,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to João’s cheek. João cleared his throat and gave an unintelligible mumble as he turned and hurried inside.

Antonio felt like he was floating on air the entire way home. He was so happy, he didn't even notice the stiffness in his legs from so much biking. He brought everything upstairs and set it on the couch to deal with later, except for the bag of orange peelings that he tossed away. When Sancho came bounding over, Antonio laughed and knelt down to give him a hug. “Oh Sancho, you should’ve been there!” he exclaimed. “He was so well dressed but so adorably shy, oh and he loved everything! And, and-- when we got to his place, I kissed him! Well, it was just on the cheek but it counts! It’s the best date I’ve ever been on Sancho!” he cheered.

João had hurried up to his bedroom as quickly as he could, stripping out of his suit to flop down on his bed. He groaned and tugged his covers over himself when he heard his door creak open.

“So, how did it go?” Francis teased. “I see you’re not dead.”

“I wish I was,” João muttered. “That was the worst date I’ve ever been on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Like always, kudos and/or comment if you liked it! Next chapter won't be as long, and maybe not out as fast, but it won't be forever!


	4. Coffee

João woke up after only sleeping for what felt like a couple of seconds to Francis shaking him awake. He groaned and pulled the covers over his head and turned over.

“Fuck off,” he muttered.

“Your boyfriend is here,” Francis teased.

“He’s what.”

“He’s here. He decided to skip work today and come wait for you up here for when you got back from your meeting. By the way, why didn’t you tell me you had a meeting?”

João groaned and peeked out of the blankets to check for Antonio. Sure enough, he was standing silently in the doorway, smiling brightly as ever. And...holding a stuffed bear. João flipped the covers over his head again. It was too early to deal with this.

“It was canceled,” he grumbled.

“I see,” Francis said with a small laugh, knowing exactly what João meant. “Well, let’s leave him alone to wake up,” he said to Antonio as he led him out of the room again.

“But I wanted to give him this!” Antonio pouted, showing Francis the stuffed bear again. Francis wasn’t sure who to feel worse for, Antonio for being so head over heels for João or João for having to deal with such a lovesick fool.

“I am sure you can give it to him once he wakes up more,” he assured him. “He is just not a very pleasant person in the morning.”

Antonio still looked saddened by the news, but Francis tried to ignore it and sat on the couch instead. He pulled out his phone and smiled as he checked his notifications. “Seems like everyone is excited to know who the lucky person was that went on a date with João last night,” he joked.

“What? How did they know?” Antonio whined. “It was just us alone!”

“I may have taken a picture,” Francis explained, showing Antonio his phone. On the screen, there was a picture of João with a slight smirk as he posed in his suit, with the caption “João is leaving me all alone to go on a date!!! What am I to do tonight by myself?”. Antonio stared at it for several seconds, a light blush on his cheeks.

“Can you send me that?” he asked, and Francis laughed.

“Of course, who am I to deny my friend a picture of his boyfriend?” he joked. He sent the picture to Antonio and set the phone aside.

Antonio took out his own phone to save the picture and set it as his background, Francis peering over his shoulder curiously. He was definitely feeling bad for Antonio more now, it was obvious the kid had fallen hard. He wondered if he should break the news to him now, but waved it away. It’ll fade on its own with time, who was he to interfere?

“So how come it’s such a big deal?” Antonio asked, a proud smile on his face as he noticed Francis staring at his new background.

“Well you see, since you and João are...dating, then that means João and I aren’t,” Francis explained, hesitating on how to describe them.

“Oh, and that’s what those magazines are all about!” Antonio said, everything clicking with him at once.

“Exactly. But maybe you two should go on more public dates,” Francis suggested. Maybe he should interfere a little for João’s sake. “I simply cannot have everyone think that I am a liar, now can I?” he explained. “If they see you two out in public, then they will know what I said to be true.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” Antonio agreed with a nod. He even tilted the stuffed bear to make it seem like it was nodding too. He stopped and looked at it with a serious face, concentrating hard. “But where to take him?” he asked.

“How about the zoo?” Francis offered. “I’m sure you two would have a great time there.”

Antonio gasped and smiled at him. “You’re a genius Francis! I’ll do that then!” he agreed enthusiastically.

“Do what now?” João asked, finally trudging out to the living room. His hair was still a mess and he was only in some baggy pajama pants, but he couldn’t care less.

“Get ready, we’re going to go to the zoo!” Antonio explained, hopping up. “Oh, and this is for you.” He went over to him to shove the stuffed bear at him. “I saw this in a window as I was coming here and I couldn’t help but get it for you!” he explained. João looked at the bear with a flat expression, too tired to bother putting up fake joy.

“Thanks,” he muttered, taking it. “I’ll...go get ready now.” He shuffled back into his room and locked his door behind him. Antonio squealed softly and sank back down onto the couch.

“I’m glad you aren’t dating him but I don’t get how! Dios mio he’s so cute when he’s tired! And you live with that every day!” he cried. Francis stared at him in confusion, wondering how any of that was considered cute in Antonio’s eyes.

“You have not changed a single bit, I see,” he noted. “You always have seen the best in people, haven’t you?”

“It’s not hard to see the best in João! He’s so shy, but I know he’s a good guy!” Antonio explained, only making Francis’ confusion worse. He wondered how Antonio saw anything even close to shyness in João.

“Yes well, since he is so, ah...shy,” Francis started, “maybe you should try to not be so overbearing. Give him some space.” Well, there goes his plan to stay out of it. But it was for the good of his public reputation and his agent’s sanity.

“What do you mean?” Antonio asked curiously.

“Antonio, I do not mean to be rude, but you can be very passionate at times,” Francis pointed out. “You do not want to scare João away, do you?”

“No!” Antonio gasped.

“Then maybe let him initiate affection for a while until he’s more comfortable with you,” Francis suggested, wondering why he was describing it to Antonio like befriending an animal. They both turned their heads as they heard the water start as João turned on the shower.

“So does that mean I shouldn’t go ask to join him in the shower?” Antonio asked, and Francis suddenly felt his pity lean towards João. He certainly knew how to pick them, didn’t he?

“No,” Francis said. “At least, not until you’re more comfortable with each other.”

“But I’m plenty comfortable with him!” Antonio reasoned.

“He’s not very comfortable with you though,” Francis said with a small sigh. “This is exactly what I was talking about. You might think you are being romantic, and I know you are because I know you, but you’re just a stranger to João still. It might come off as…”

“Overbearing?” Antonio asked curiously, remembering what Francis said earlier.

“Creepy,” Francis clarified, and Antonio gasped.

“I don’t want him to think I’m creepy though!” he whined.

“Exactly. So wait and let him come to you,” Francis offered. Antonio nodded in understanding and gave him a thumbs up.

“Got it!” he said.

João came out not too long after, dressed properly this time with his hair brushed out. He seemed to be in a slightly better mood now that he was more awake. “So, why were you waiting for me to get out of my meeting?” he asked with a yawn.

“We’re going to the zoo!” Antonio exclaimed happily. João looked at him with surprise as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“I hope you don’t mean right now,” he said. “I just woke up.”

Antonio was slightly saddened by this, but remembered what Francis said about not being overbearing, or worse, creepy. “No, not right now. Whenever you’re ready to go,” he explained.

“Thank goodness,” João sighed, and Antonio looked at Francis with a proud smile. Francis chuckled and gave him a subtle thumbs up before getting up to get his shoes on.

“Well, I will leave you two alone. I think I’m going to go take a stroll. It’s a beautiful day out,” he said.

“We’ll probably be at the zoo by the time you get back,” João said, waving at him. Francis waved back and then left, leaving the two in awkward silence. Well, it felt awkward for Antonio. He wanted to say something, but he also repeated over and over in his head to let João start things. João meanwhile didn’t care, he was still trying to wake up. He sat down on the other end of the couch from Antonio and sipped at his coffee silently.

Antonio twisted his hands nervously in his lap, wondering if he should say something. Finally the need to break the silence became too much and he cleared his throat.

“You looked good last night,” he said. João glanced over at him and smiled.

“Of course. Anyone looks good when they dress up,” he said.

“Yeah but you looked really good,” Antonio continued. João gave a small hum in reply as he kept drinking his coffee. He pulled out his phone to scroll through it. He frowned when he saw Francis’ post.

“He didn’t even pick the best picture,” he grumbled, and Antonio nearly choked. There was a better picture?

“I-- I thought that picture was perfect,” he said, silently smacking himself. He needed to stop being creepy! João glanced at him and gave him a small smile.

“Thanks, I guess at least it’s something to get the media off my ass,” he sighed. He finished his coffee up and Antonio wondered how he managed to do that without burning his tongue.

A breeze blew through the room and João frowned. “I’ve told him to quit leaving the windows open. That breeze is cold up here,” he muttered. He got up and closed the open window.

“I can warm you up,” Antonio blurted out. He blushed when he realized he was doing exactly what Francis told him not to do. “Sorry, I-- I mean, only if you want to,” he stammered to try to make up for it.

“I’ll think about it,” João said. He grabbed his mug and filled it up with another cup of coffee. “Would you like some?” he asked, gesturing to the machine. Antonio smiled brightly and nodded.

“Yes, please,” Antonio said, kicking his legs back and forth absentmindedly. João took out another mug and filled it up as well.

“Do you like cream in your coffee? Francis keeps too much of it anyways,” he offered.

“I prefer a little bit of milk, oh and do you have cinnamon?” Antonio asked. João chuckled and poured some milk into Antonio’s cup with a little sprinkle of cinnamon.

“Hope I got it right for you, your highness,” he joked, taking the two mugs over and handing Antonio his. Antonio laughed and took a sip. He sat, stunned. The coffee was so much better than what he had at his house!

“What kind of coffee do you guys get?” he asked, staring at the cup.

“Oh, there’s some shop that Francis gets the beans from, and the machine grinds them up for us,” João explained casually. He looked confused as Antonio stared at him in wonder. “What?” he asked.

“You get whole beans?” Antonio asked.

“Yeah, Francis gets a deal on them because he flirts with the girl that runs the shop,” João said with a shrug. “Not the best business practice, but it could be worse.” He pulled out his phone when it gave a happy ding and frowned when he saw it was a text from Francis.

‘ _Give me a picture of you two_ ’

He sighed and set his mug down to open his arm up to Antonio. “Hey, come here,” he said. Antonio couldn’t have been more ecstatic, and nearly spilled his coffee in his haste to cuddle up to João’s side. João wrapped his arm loosely around Antonio’s shoulders, a polite smile on his face as he took a picture. Meanwhile Antonio had a wide grin that didn’t hide any of his happiness.

“Alright, thank you,” João said, letting go of him and sending the picture, but Antonio didn’t move.

“Can you send that to me too?” he asked, and João looked at him confused before shrugging it off and sending it to Antonio too.

“Sent it,” he said, and Antonio pulled his phone out to save the picture as quickly as possible. Meanwhile João frowned when Francis replied to the picture.

‘ _You need to smile like you mean it!_ ’

João rolled his eyes and stuck his phone back in his pocket. That was the only picture Francis was going to get, so he needed to deal with it. He grabbed his coffee and sipped at it silently as Antonio texted all of his friends about how lucky he was that he got a boyfriend, complete with the picture of them.

Once they both finished their coffee, João rinsed out their mugs and set them aside to put in the dishwasher later. “Ready to go to the zoo now?” he asked as he grabbed his wallet. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited, it had been a while since he had gone to the zoo, and Francis was right earlier. It was a beautiful day out, perfect for walking around the zoo. It’d be the perfect place to get seen with him too.

“I am. Let’s go!” Antonio exclaimed, jumping up. After getting their shoes on, Antonio took João downstairs, where his bike was waiting. Antonio undid the lock and got on, waiting for João to get on and hold onto his shoulders again. Once João was comfortable they were off, unable to talk again from the wind and the sandwich stand clattering behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: zoo date! I have the next 3, maybe 4 chapters planned out so far so now its just a matter of putting them into words and getting them proofread! Speaking of which, thank you to sinunamor and salytierra again for looking over and making sure everything is good ^^
> 
> Please kudos and/or comment if you liked it! <3


	5. Zoo Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 84 years...
> 
> Sorry this took so long! Stuff got in the way and I lost motivation for writing ^^;; Thanks again to sinunamor for the help proofreading! Have an extra long chapter to make up for it!

João felt excited from the idea of going to the zoo. Not only was it fun because he got to see the animals there, but it was also open and had plenty of people to spread the gossip quickly. He smiled when Antonio stopped his bike and he got off to let him lock the bike to a stand.

“Come on let’s go!” Antonio said excitedly, grabbing João’s hand and tugging him down a path. João kept up easily, until he realized they were going down a side path that didn’t go the way that the signs pointed to.

“...Antonio?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Where are we going?”

“The zoo! I already told you that, silly!”

“...You're not planning on sneaking us in through a back way, are you?” João asked, frowning even more.

“What? No, it's free for everyone to go into,” Antonio explained. He led João up a torn up concrete path, humming happily. “See? Nobody cares,” he said, gesturing around them.

“This isn't the zoo,” João said flatly.

“It used to be! There's a bunch of cool stuff left behind here! Also I don't have much money to spend on the zoo,” Antonio replied. “Here, let me show you where they kept the cages.”

João followed reluctantly, his hopes quickly sinking with every step they took. There wasn’t anyone around, the point of going out on a date with him to the “zoo” was quickly losing its entire point. Antonio led him around through the small, graffiti covered concrete enclosures, pointing out how they were cruel and small for all of the animals. Finally, João had enough.

“Antonio this is depressing,” he sighed.

“I know, it was so wrong of them to keep them in such small places!” Antonio whined as he pulled João along. “Here let me show you where they kept the tigers.”

João yanked his hand away roughly, making Antonio look back at him in confusion.

“Is something the matter?” Antonio asked.

“I'll pay for our tickets to the actual zoo, let's just please go there,” João said, digging his nails into his palm to keep from letting his frustration get the better of him.

“Seriously?! That's great, let’s go!” Antonio cheered, grabbing João's hand again and tugging him out of the creepy and depressing dilapidated zoo. They followed the brightly colored signs to the entrance of the actual zoo, the midday sun glaring down on them. João put on his sunglasses as they stood in line, and he looked over to see Antonio squinting from the bright light.

“Did you not bring sunglasses?” he asked.

“No, I don't own any,” Antonio said with a shrug.

“You work all day in the sun, what do you mean you don't own any?” João asked incredulously.

“I never remember to buy some when I'm at the store, and it never really bothers me. My stand’s umbrella gives me enough shade,” Antonio explained. João rolled his eyes and sighed as he paid for their tickets. They got their wristbands and he dragged Antonio towards the gift shop.

“Here, we need to buy sunscreen anyways. I can't believe I was stupid enough to forget it,” he huffed. He looked around the shop, finding a bottle of some overpriced sunscreen and some decent looking sunglasses.

“Here, try these on,” he said, handing the sunglasses to Antonio. Antonio put them on and grinned, and João stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head and plucking them off to put them back on the rack. He repeated this process several times, going down the rack and trying each pair.

“João they all look the same,” Antonio whined. “Can we go see the animals now?”

“No, they aren't all the same. They frame your face differently and it matters,” João said sternly. Finally he found a pair that he was satisfied with and took it off to take it to the front desk. Antonio meanwhile inspected all of the little toys and gadgets, smiling brightly in amazement.

“Hey, hey João look! Peacock feathers!” Antonio exclaimed, taking one of the long feathers to tickle João’s cheek with it. João lightly swatted it away and gave Antonio an annoyed look as he took the small bag with the sunscreen and sunglasses in it.

“Put it back, let's go,” he said with a heavy sigh, his patience quickly wearing thin. Antonio pouted but put the feather back anyways to follow João out of the shop. João pulled him into the bathroom and locked the door.

“Why are we in the bathroom?” Antonio asked curiously.

“Because I don’t want to be labeled indecent by the press for putting sunscreen on in public. Here's your sunglasses,” he said, handing Antonio the sunglasses and taking the sunscreen out. He applied it to himself first before handing to Antonio.

“Your turn. Make sure you get the back of your neck and your ears,” he advised.

“Can you put it on for me?” Antonio said, giving him a wink. However he quickly stopped and put his hands up. “Wait, wait, no I was joking. You don't have to.”

João stared at him with a raised eyebrow but shook his head and handed him the sunscreen. Antonio rubbed the sunscreen in and put his sunglasses back on as they walked back out. João unfolded the map and hummed in thought as he looked over it.

“So where should we go first?” he asked, trying to figure out where the highest traffic areas were. The more people that saw them out and together, the better. Meanwhile Antonio stared intently at the map, his brow furrowed.

“We could-- no, we’d miss the African dogs,” he muttered. “And if we go that way, then we’d miss the elephants.” He whined and leaned heavily against João. “I can’t decide!”

João scoffed and rolled his eyes. “We can go around more than once,” he retorted. He sighed when Antonio looked up, his eyes sparkling at the realization.

“Where do we go first?” he asked. João frowned, still trying to figure out the best places to go. He perked up when he realized there was a shuttle that went around the outside of the zoo. It was bound to have plenty of people. He grabbed Antonio’s hand and tugged him in the direction of the nearest loading spot.

“Let’s get on the shuttle first,” he suggested.

“There’s a shuttle?” Antonio gasped.

“Yes there is and we’re going on it,” João said flatly. He was relieved when he saw his suspicions were correct. There was a line of people standing around waiting for the shuttle to come back. He kept holding onto Antonio’s hand as they waited in line, grimacing at how callused it felt.

“Why is your hand so rough?” he asked, looking at Antonio.

“Hey, it’s not that rough! I use lotion!” Antonio defended, pouting at him.

“And I have wings,” João said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“You do?” Antonio asked.

“No, it was sarcasm. Learn to use it,” João snapped.

“I know, it was a joke. Maybe you should learn to have a sense of humor,” Antonio fired back with a grin.

João glared at him over the rim of his sunglasses. Seeing Antonio’s wide, shit-eating grin made him seethe and he had to hiss in a slow, deep breath to keep from stomping on his foot in retaliation. He took out his phone to type away at it with his free hand. Antonio frowned, realizing that maybe he overstepped some boundaries. He stayed silent for several moments before giving a small cough to try to clear the tense air. It didn’t help.

“...All of the biking I do made my hands tough,” he muttered, kicking at a stray pebble. João sighed and looked up from his phone.

“You don’t use gloves?” he asked.

“I tried, but I don’t like how they feel,” Antonio explained with a shrug. João gave a small hum in response and went back to typing on his phone. Antonio tried to look, but it seemed like João had a screen protector that made it look black to anyone not directly in front of the phone screen.

“...What are you doing?” he asked curiously.

“Updating on our date,” João replied flatly. “If I’m going to get those assholes off my back, I need to make a show of us dating for the first few weeks. Here, take a picture with me.”

For some reason, the assurance that João was sure that they would be in a long term relationship made Antonio’s heart soar. He leaned in and beamed at the camera as João gave his usual small smile. Antonio briefly wondered how someone like him could still be camera shy at this point, but it didn’t matter to him.

Eventually they got onto the tram, taking a seat near the middle. João let Antonio have the outside seat, not wanting to risk dropping his phone. Antonio on the other hand was thrilled, seeing it as the opportunity to see more of the animals. He was as close to the edge as he could get so he could see everything. João meanwhile kept tapping away at his phone. ‘ _The zoo is much more fun when you’ve got your boyfriend along_ ’. He grimaced and reluctantly added a kissing emoji on the end before posting it.

“João, João!” Antonio said, tugging on João’s sleeve. “Look!”

João reluctantly looked up in time to see the flamingos. “...What?” he asked.

“Aren’t they pretty?” Antonio asked, his eyes sparkling as he looked back at the flamingos and took a picture with his phone.

“I guess,” João said with a shrug as he went back to his own phone. It was only a few more seconds before Antonio gasped and tugged on João’s sleeve again.

“Look, there’s pigs!” he laughed, and João glanced up briefly to look at the pigs snuffling about in their habitat.

“Relatives of yours?” he asked flatly, and Antonio burst out laughing.

“No, no, they’re too good looking to be my family! They must be yours,” Antonio joked back, and João cracked a small smile before going back to playing a game on his phone.

Antonio continued to snap pictures of all of the different animals while tugging on João’s sleeve to try to get his attention like a hyperactive child. Once they got back to the beginning of the route, they got off, with Antonio smiling brightly.

“Where to next?” he asked, grabbing hold of João’s hand again.

“I guess now we can walk around and see the other animals,” João hummed.

Antonio nodded excitedly and dragged João around the different paths on the sidewalk. He stopped at every single animal station to read all of the details on the plaque aloud. João tuned him out, wishing he could keep playing on his phone, but he had a public image to uphold. The last thing he needed was for the paparazzi to catch on to his pretending so quickly. With each animal he felt himself get more and more bored, and he leaned against Antonio a few times as he closed his eyes and rested for a bit while Antonio rambled on. Why was being around Antonio so exhausting? Antonio of course kept chattering away as he talked about how goofy the animal looked, or how adorable it was.

“...These little guys are related to elephants? I wonder how that is,” Antonio mused, catching João’s attention briefly. João peeked his eyes open, frowning when he saw the small rodent-like creature snuffling about in the enclosure.

“I’m sure that’s just a typo,” he grumbled.

“They don’t make those big of typos on here,” Antonio defended. He looked back at the plaque and smiled. “It’s called a rock hyrax. So cute! I bet they would make good cuddling partners.” He stopped and had to take a deep breath before adding, “I bet you’re better at cuddling though.”

João sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips. He had to hand it to Antonio, he was bold. “Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll find out,” he teased, giving him a small nudge. Antonio brightened up at this, and he gave João a small nudge in return.

“Maybe...tonight?” he asked hopefully. João huffed and shook his head.

“Don’t push your luck,” he retorted as he pulled him towards the next habitat.

Antonio pouted but followed along, his pout quickly turning into a smile again as they moved along through the rest of the habitats. He continued reading aloud the information out of them, his mood brightening even more when João piped up to add his opinion on an animal, or to even read some of the plaques with him.

They were both thankful when they went indoors to look at the different reptiles, which was much cooler than the sun bearing down on them outside. Antonio gasped in amazement and hurried to the nearest one, and João had to pull him back to keep him from pressing his face up against the glass. Inside was a very bored looked bearded dragon.

“Look at how cute it is!” Antonio gasped. “I heard you can keep them as pets.”

“They probably take a lot of work,” João said with a yawn.

“Yeah, I bet. It’d be too expensive for me,” Antonio sighed, pouting. They continued to move through the building, with João repeatedly telling Antonio to step back to avoid scaring the different reptiles that looked like they couldn’t care less.

“Woah, look at that guy!” Antonio gasped, looking at a long snake. “I bet he could eat me whole!”

“He can’t eat you whole idiot, you’re too fat,” João scoffed, though a small smile tugged at his lips. Antonio laughed and gave him a small nudge.

“Hey, I’m not fat, you’re fat!” he teased back, making João laugh softly.

“I will have you know I’m on a diet,” he joked, returning the nudge.

“Oh really? What’s the diet then?” Antonio asked.

“Seafood. I see food, and I eat it,” João replied. Antonio laughed more, and João was only able to keep a straight face for a few seconds before Antonio’s infectious laughter got to him and he laughed softly with him.

“Hey, speaking of food, I’m hungry,” Antonio said, pouting at João.

“Then how about we get some lunch?” João suggested. “I’m feeling a little hungry too.” He pulled out the map from his pocket and unfolded it to look over the different places available. “Look’s like the closest place is the churro factory,” he said.

“Oh, you probably don’t want to go there huh? I bet you’re all burnt out on churros after our date,” Antonio joked. João gave him a deadpanned look and grabbed his hand to drag him in the direction of the restaurant.

“Oh, uh, I mean if you do want to go there then we can! I have no problem with it,” Antonio stammered, flustered from João’s sudden boldness.

“We’re going there,” João said flatly.

When they finally got there, João became suddenly very aware of how hungry he was from the strong scent of cinnamon and popcorn in the air, and he was thankful that the line was short. He looked up at the menu as they stood in line, knowing almost immediately what he wanted. Once they got to the counter, he looked at Antonio.

“Know what you want?” he asked. Antonio hummed, his eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s so hard to decide. Everything sounds so good!” he whined.

“I’ll go first then,” João sighed. He turned back to the employee and gave a polite smile. “I’ll take a bag of popcorn with a large frozen cherry drink and three churros, one with caramel, one with cream, and one with strawberry filling please.”

Antonio stopped and gawked at him. “And yet you were calling me fat earlier!” he laughed.

“I’ll walk it off, just shut up and order your food already,” João grumbled, blushing lightly in embarrassment. Antonio grinned and looked back at the menu.

“I’ll get a pretzel and a cream filled churro please, and...a small lemonade,” he said. João took out his wallet and paid for everything. Antonio smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek in thanks, making João’s cheeks flush more. Once they got their food, they sat down at a table under an umbrella and quickly ate. João somehow managed to finish everything before Antonio, and he sipped at his drink as he waited.

Antonio glanced up at one moment to ask him something, but stopped when he saw how red the drink made João’s lips. He blushed and glanced away, trying to push away the thought of how badly he wanted to kiss him. João remained unaware of Antonio’s struggles, instead tapping away at his phone. ‘ _The churros are sweet, but they can’t compare to how sweet my boyfriend is_ ’ he tweeted, a small smile on his face as he added a couple of hearts to the end of it and posted it.

Once Antonio finished up his own lunch, João pulled out the map to look at it again. “Seems like we’ve done everything, so I guess we can go,” he said.

“Wait, it says that they have giraffe feeding right now!” Antonio pointed out with a small gasp. João raised his eyebrows and folded the map up in his pocket.

“We better hurry then, we don’t want to miss it because of the line,” he said. They threw away their trash and João grabbed Antonio’s hand again as they walked over to the feeding area for the giraffes. The line wasn’t nearly as long as they expected, and João wondered if it was because it was school was in session that not as many kids were there. He shrugged it off and bought a bucket of leaves, handing it to Antonio, who looked absolutely ecstatic at the idea of feeding the giraffes.

A few giraffes were already standing at the edge of the tall platform, sniffing curiously at the people that were standing there and feeding them or tried to pet them. Antonio gasped as one wandered over lazily, which was smaller than the others.

“João look, it’s a baby!” he cooed, immediately taking some leaves out and holding them out.

“I wouldn’t call that a baby, maybe a teenager,” João chuckled. Antonio laughed more as the giraffe stuck its tongue out and swiped up the leaves.

“Oh gross, it’s slimy!” he said, and João couldn’t help but laugh too.

“I’m more concerned that it’s purple,” he teased back.

“I know! It’s so weird!” Antonio exclaimed, giggling more as he fed the giraffe some more leaves. “Here, you should try it!” he urged João, holding the bucket back out to him. João grimaced, hesitating for a few seconds before gingerly taking the bucket.

“I...guess I will,” he muttered. He took a leaf out and held it out carefully to the giraffe, who immediately swiped it out of his hand with its tongue. He grimaced and Antonio laughed at his reaction.

“Come on, it’s not that bad! You just have to feed it a few at a time,” he said. João frowned and took a handful of leaves out, feeding them all to the giraffe. He managed a small smile and chuckled.

“That does feel weird,” he agreed.

“I told you!” Antonio laughed, grinning at him. They continued to feed the rest of the bucket to the giraffe, which left just as they ran out of leaves. They returned the bucket and washed their hands before leaving, with Antonio smiling brightly and João with a small, genuine smile on his face.

“I guess now we can go, unless there’s something else you wanted to do,” João said, giving Antonio’s hand a small squeeze. Antonio hummed in thought and was about to say that there wasn’t anything else when he spotted a face painting booth. He hummed and chewed on his lip, thinking if it was too childish to ask. João noticed his conflict and looked at where Antonio was staring.

“What? Do you want to get your face painted?” he asked.

“Yes!” Antonio blurted out, smiling again. João smiled and chuckled softly, letting himself be pulled over to the booth. While they waited, Antonio gently swung their arms back and forth, humming happily.

“What are you going to get?” João asked.

“A tiger!” Antonio replied, then gasped as he got an idea. “You should get a white tiger! Then we’ll match!”

João grimaced and shook his head. “No,” he said. Antonio pouted but didn’t push it, remembering that Francis said to give João some space. Antonio sat down in the chair when they finally got up to the front. The face painter didn’t seem fazed that an adult wanted his face painted.

“Hello darling, what would you like?” she asked, smiling at him.

“A tiger please! An orange one!” Antonio said happily. João couldn’t help but smile as he watched her pat the paint onto Antonio’s face, having to brush some of his bangs out of his hair to get the design right. Once she was done, Antonio got up as João was about to dig his wallet out of his pocket, but paused and sighed.

“And, uh, I’ll...get a white tiger too,” he said as he sat down in the chair and took his sunglasses off. Antonio gasped and beamed at him, and he gave him a small smile in return.

“How cute! Alright, close your eyes,” the lady said, and João closed his eyes and relaxed his face. It was hard not to grimace, the paint was cold and felt weird on his face. Once she fanned him off to dry the paint, he opened his eyes again and took his wallet out to pay her. He took Antonio’s hand again and led him towards the entrance, but Antonio stopped.

“Let’s take a picture!” he suggested, and João smiled in agreement. They both took pictures with their own phone, but João only took a picture of them standing together while Antonio took a picture right as he stole a quick kiss from João. He laughed softly at João’s surprised and flustered expression in the picture as João cleared his throat and distracted himself with posting the picture online. Antonio intertwined their fingers and led them back to the exit, passing by the gift shop.

“Did you want anything from the shop?” João asked. “A peacock feather?”

“No, Sancho would eat--” Antonio stopped as he saw a rack of stuffed animals through the window. “We could get matching tiger stuffed animals,” he whispered. João looked inside and chuckled.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” he agreed, walking into the shop with him. He strolled over to the rack, grabbing the white tiger off of the shelf. He hummed softly, glancing it over with a small frown.

“I don’t know. It’s not bad, but I don’t really like tigers that much,” he admitted.

“Oh, you don’t have to get a tiger then!” Antonio assured him with a small chuckle. João put the tiger back and hummed as he looked over the rest of them. He wasn’t really impressed with any of them, until he saw a lynx plushie sitting on a higher shelf. He reached up and grabbed it, staring at it with wide eyes.

“This is the cutest thing I have ever seen, it’s so soft” he whispered, hugging it to his chest. Antonio laughed softly as he looked up at the shelf and saw the last lynx up there.

“Oh no João, but you’re tearing it away from its buddy!” he exclaimed. He reached up and grabbed the last lynx plushie, pressing its nose against the other one to make it “kiss” it. “I guess that settles it then, we can’t tear them apart,” he teased.

João smiled at him and took them up to the counter. He was about to pay for them, like everything else that day, but Antonio beat him to it by sliding his card across to the employee. He looked at Antonio in surprise.

“I thought you said that you didn’t have much money,” he said.

“Well, I have enough for these two,” Antonio assured him. “Besides, I’ve been doing well lately.”

João smiled and took the bag that had the two lynxes in it, and led Antonio out of the gift shop and out of the zoo. “How tired are you?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I’m pretty beat. I think I’m going to fall asleep the minute I get back!” Antonio joked.

“Oh,” João said, clearing his throat and glancing away. Antonio realized that João might have been planning something and he gasped.

“Oh, I-- I didn’t mean it like that!” Antonio exclaimed. “I’m up for anything still!”

“Well I was thinking that maybe a ride around the city would be nice,” João suggested, rubbing his thumb over Antonio’s knuckles. Antonio already felt his legs aching from it as they approached his bike.

“Uh, maybe not around the whole city,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“How about just to your place then?” João suggested, and Antonio felt like he was going to faint from shock. His house wasn’t clean at all, Sancho’s fur was surely all over the place, and he was sure that he had more than one pair of boxers on the floor. But this could be the only chance in a long time that he had to have João over! Oh, but was it too early to have him over?

“Yes!” Antonio decided quickly. “But...you need to wait outside for a minute while I clean up the place. It’s a mess, I haven’t had anyone over in a while.”

“That’s fine,” João assured him. “I don’t mind waiting.”

Antonio sighed in relief and got on his bike, with João sitting behind him with his arms around his waist, the two bags hanging off his arm so they didn’t fall off. It wasn’t long before they got to the apartment, and Antonio locked his bike to the rack. He led him up to his apartment and then stopped him outside the door.

“Okay, wait here,” he said, slipping inside and locking the door behind him. João went back to playing on his phone as he waited, having to wait almost fifteen minutes before Antonio finally flung the door open again, with Sancho tapping happily at his feet.

“Come on in!” Antonio said, opening his arms. João hesitated, eyeing Sancho warily. He slowly came inside, flinching back and holding the bags close to his chest when Sancho tried to jump up on him.

“Sancho no!” Antonio gasped, grabbing Sancho’s collar as he closed the door. “I’m sorry, he’s not usually this energetic. I think he has to go out, hang on.” He grabbed a leash and hooked it up to Sancho’s collar, then grabbed a bag and put his shoes on. “I’ll be back in a minute. Make yourself at home,” he said. He left, leaving João alone again.

João sighed and took his shoes off, then reclined on the couch as he went back to his phone game. He looked around the apartment, scrunching his nose at some of the decoration choices Antonio made. He knew there was no helping the white walls and gray carpet that clearly had not been vacuumed in a long time, but Antonio could have at least tried to coordinate his furniture with it all. His couch was a dull, worn blue with various stains from spilled drinks and food on it. At least, that's what João hoped they were. Almost all of the corners of the cushions and the couch were chewed up and showed the cheap yellow stuffing underneath. There was a brown armchair that at least worked well with everything else, even though it was in similar condition to the couch.

It would've been a nice room, had it not been for the obnoxious orange curtains that covered the windows and the gaudy lime green tall lamp. There was also a plastic coffee table that was in just as rough shape as the couches, the corners being chewed up.

He picked up a framed picture on the table and inspected it. It seemed older, with the flash a little too bright and the colors not saturated enough. It was a slightly younger looking Antonio with a golden retriever puppy in his arms, though it could hardly be called a puppy. Antonio was barely able to hold it in his arms, and it was slightly blurry from the puppy squirming, but Antonio had the biggest grin on his face anyways. The date read to about 5 years prior.

There wasn't much furnishing other than that, thank god, but João kept staring at the lamp and wondered if Antonio would notice if he threw it out the window. He went back to playing on his phone to try to distract himself from it.

He put his phone back down when Antonio got back. Antonio unhooked Sancho from his leash again, humming happily. He didn’t take note of where João was sitting until Sancho started rocketing towards him.

“Sancho!” he gasped, but it was too late. Sancho jumped up onto the couch, directly on João’s legs. João scrambled to get off the couch as Sancho panted happily, his tail thumping against the couch. Antonio hurried over to João and rested his hand on his arm.

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve warned you! He, uh, he likes that spot on the couch. It’s only ever him and me, so I always forget to tell people,” he said, frowning when he felt João trembling slightly. “Are you...Are you afraid of dogs?” he asked.

“No! That would be stupid!” João defended.

“It’s okay, I won’t judge,” Antonio assured him, smiling reassuringly at him. João sighed heavily and shook his head.

“I’m not afraid of them. I just...don’t like them. They’re too energetic and they always get in my face,” he grumbled.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve left Sancho with his pet sitter today,” Antonio sighed. He gave a sharp whistle, getting Sancho’s attention. “Sancho! Go!” he ordered, pointing to his bedroom. Sancho obediently trotted into his bedroom, hopping up onto the bed to relax instead. Antonio closed the door behind him as João sat back down on the couch. Antonio sat down next to him, opening his arm in invitation.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked. João slowly moved to lean against him and he shrugged.

“I suppose,” he said, gently tossing the bags aside with his sunglasses so he could get comfortable against Antonio. He pulled out his phone and continued tapping away at it. Antonio turned the tv on and scrolled through the channels, trying to figure out what the best kind of movie would be. He finally settled on something cheesy and romantic, and he looked at João.

“Is this alright?” he asked. João shrugged, not even looking up from his phone.

“Sure,” he mumbled. Antonio set the remote down and wrapped his arms around João. He tried to watch the movie, but it soon became background noise as he focused instead on how warm João felt in his arms. He pressed a small kiss to the top of his head, and João smiled softly.

“You better not have gotten any facepaint in my hair,” he teased.

“I didn’t,” Antonio assured him. João raised his phone up and took a picture of the two of them and posted it, and Antonio smiled warmly.

“You sure do like taking pictures,” he noted.

“I need to make sure everyone knows we’re dating,” João murmured. Antonio blushed and rubbed João’s side gently.

“I wasn’t complaining,” he whispered. João hummed in response and set his phone down, trying to focus on the movie. However it wasn’t long before his breath slowed down and evened out as he dozed off, and Antonio felt a warmth spread in his chest from fondness. He carefully moved to grab the remote so he could turn the TV off, wanting to make sure João slept well. He then got comfortable and closed his eyes, soon dozing off as well.

João was the first to wake back up, and he yawned and stretched out as he tried to wake up. It was dark, and hard to see anything. Antonio slowly woke up from the shifting and loss of heat, and he squinted in the low light to try to see. João grabbed his phone to try to use its flashlight, only to find out it died. He jumped and yelped in surprise as Antonio sat up and wound his arms around him.

“Hey, did you sleep well?” he murmured.

“Yeah. Where’s the light?” he asked. Antonio reluctantly detached himself to get up and shuffle over to the tall lamp. João hissed softly and squeezed his eyes shut as the lamp turned on. He slowly blinked his eyes open again and looked at Antonio, who sat back down next to him.

“I've been meaning to ask, why the hell is your lamp such an ugly green?” he asked. Antonio looked at it and gave a sheepish smile.

“Ah, I, um…I got it because it was a lot cheaper than anything else at the time, and I needed something that wasn't as bright as the light up there,” he explained, pointing up to the ceiling light. João almost felt a little bad for him. At least it wasn't a personal choice.

“I think it’s time for me to head back home anyways,” he said, standing up and stretching his arms above his head with a small groan. Antonio sighed but knew he was right.

“I’ll take you back,” he assured him, getting up and grabbing the two bags for him after taking his own lynx plushie out of one. João smiled slightly and grabbed his free hand, walking downstairs with him and getting onto his bike. He took the bags from Antonio so that Antonio could focus on biking him back to Francis’ place. When they got there, Antonio got off and helped João off too.

“Thank you for everything today. It was a lot more fun than walking around a bunch of lumps of concrete,” he teased. João laughed softly and gave his hand a small squeeze.

“I had some fun too,” he murmured. Antonio gave him a small kiss on the cheek, smiling warmly at him.

“Let me know when you want to hang out again,” he murmured.

“Of course,” João assured him. “Have a good night.” With that, he turned and went back up to Francis’ penthouse. Francis looked up as he went inside, and smirked when he saw João’s facepaint.

“Didn’t think you were so childish,” he teased.

“Hey, I had ten times more fun than you did today,” João huffed, rolling his eyes. Francis smiled and said nothing, only going back to watching the TV. João didn’t bother paying any attention to what was on it, he only shuffled into his room to take a shower as his phone charged.

He washed off the face paint and the rest of his body, feeling much better now that he knew he didn’t smell like sweat. He sank down into his bed, feeling tired enough to go back to sleep again even though he just took a nap. He checked his phone, smiling at all of the notifications he got from everyone liking his updates throughout the day and saying they wished they had a relationship like that.

He got rid of all of them, pausing when he saw a text from Antonio.

‘ _Good night, tiger_ ’ it read. João smiled and blushed lightly.

‘ _Good night_ ’ he sent back, adding two tiger emojis on the end of it, with a heart in between them. He set his phone back down and closed his eyes, dozing off.

Francis smiled as he lounged on the couch with a glass of wine and looked at the last few updates that João gave of his day with Antonio. He was glad he didn’t have the heart to tell Antonio that it was fake. After all, he didn’t like lying.


	6. A Real Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof! Sorry this took so long, I suddenly went on an art kick that took up all of my time and creativity! Thank you as always to sinunamor for proofreading this! The next chapter is already in progress though, so hopefully it won't be too long before it! >wo)b

A month had passed since João had agreed to start dating Antonio. He had gone on the occasional date with him, but Antonio picked it every time and João was starting to lose his patience. They were all terrible. Of course they weren’t all bad, at least they were usually out and getting attention. The paparazzi were definitely noticing. Yesterday João had passed by a journalist he recognized but the journalist didn’t even spare him a glance. It was like João had become invisible since he started dating Antonio, and he couldn’t have been happier.

Antonio on the other hand was miserable. João hadn’t seen him in a week and a half, and he wasn’t responding to any of his texts or calls. He tried to keep a positive outlook. He asked Francis about João and Francis said that it was just a really busy time. He trusted Francis’ word, after all there was no reason for his friend to lie to him. He couldn’t help but worry though, so that afternoon during a break he decided to try to give João another call.

João was lounging on the couch with Francis when his phone started ringing with a tune that had become all too familiar to him. He had set a specific tone for Antonio’s calls and texts to know when to ignore his phone. He groaned in annoyance and pulled his phone out to glare at it until it stopped ringing. He tossed it onto the table and looked back up to see Francis giving him a disapproving frown.

“What? I don’t want to talk to him right now. He’s going to suggest another boring, fake date,” he defended.

“You can’t keep ignoring him forever,” Francis pointed out.

“I know, but he should take a damn hint already,” João groaned. “There’s no point in me continuing to waste my time going on these poor excuses of dates now that the media is off my back.”

“He’s a sweet guy João, he doesn’t deserve to get his heart broken,” Francis sighed.

“He’s not useful anymore, there’s no--”

“João!” Francis snapped. “Antonio is my friend. You may not care about him, but I do. I will not let you act like he is a toy you can ignore and toss away now that you’re bored!”

João flinched back slightly, surprised at Francis’ outburst. He recovered and huffed, glaring back at him. “What do you suggest I do then?!” he snapped back. “I’m not staying in a relationship with someone I don’t love just because you don’t want me to hurt his feelings!” Francis’ face softened into a sad frown.

“Try one more date with him. Do something you want to do instead. You’ve gone on quite a few dates now, there has to be something you enjoyed,” he said. João sighed, his shoulders slumping at the reminder.

“Yeah, some of them weren’t too bad,” he grumbled. “But they’re boring. We went grocery shopping one time and he called it a date! He spent ten minutes smelling all of the shampoo and conditioner bottles to figure out the one he wanted,” he complained. “He didn’t even think about what the best kind would be for his hair!”

“That’s Toni for you,” Francis chuckled. “I think it was kind of him to want to have you along.”

“You just liked it because it meant you got out of your turn for grocery shopping,” João accused.

“True. Well, you came back pretty happy when you went over to his place for a couple of movies that other time,” Francis suggested.

“The movies were terrible. He picked some that you were in just to try to suck up to me. It’s so boring when I already have almost the entire thing memorized.”

“Then what were you so happy about when you came back?”

“We moved the television into his bedroom so we could spoon while watching the movie, and he was warm,” João defended.

It was true, he had tried to cuddle up to Antonio on the couch, but it was much too small to be comfortable. It was much nicer to stretch out his legs on the bed as Antonio was pressed up behind him, an arm slung around his waist. It was so comfortable and warm that João was able to completely ignore the movie in favor of taking a nap, and Antonio was kind enough to not even wake him up. He had even turned down the volume slightly so no sudden loud noises had a chance at disturbing João. It was a sweet gesture, and João would be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate it. If there was one thing he had to admit was nice about Antonio, it was that he was full of sweet gestures. He had even put Sancho up with his dogsitter overnight so that João would feel comfortable.

“So you liked being able to cuddle with him,” Francis mused, tapping his chin. “What else did you like on dates? Walking in the park?”

João grimaced and shook his head. “God, no. If Sancho hadn’t been there, maybe, but no,” he said flatly.

“What was so wrong about Sancho?” Francis asked curiously, leaning in a little.

“So, Antonio bought me ice cream. Which I thought was strange because he’s always bitching about not having money. But he bought me ice cream because for some reason the idiot decided to go to the park on one of the hottest days this month and I was hot,” João complained. “And his dumbass dog nearly knocked me over to try to take my ice cream.”

“Oh, that does not sound like it was a very good time,” Francis said with a wince.

“It wasn’t. Sure we cuddled a bit on the bench while Antonio played fetch with Sancho but that was the only good part!” João huffed.

“Surely there must be something about him you like other than cuddling,” Francis said as he stretched out on the couch. João thought it over and frowned.

“Well...I did like going out for coffee with him,” he admitted. “We were at least out in public, and somewhere air conditioned. Antonio can talk forever I swear, but it was nice. I learned a lot about him. He, uh, he brought me roses. That was pretty cute I guess.”

“I was wondering where those came from,” Francis cooed, gesturing back to the vase of roses that sat in the middle of the table, still bright and beautiful from João’s delicate care.

“They were cheap, I’m surprised they’ve lasted this long,” João retorted.

“You’ve been fussing over them a lot,” Francis said. João rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Is it too much to not want those things to die immediately just because I don’t like the person that gave them to me?” he asked.

“Come on, you like Toni don’t you?” Francis asked. “You just said that you liked sitting down with him and chatting over coffee.”

“Yeah, I guess. We shared a slice of cake too,” João mused. “It was okay. Not nearly as good as Valentino’s.”

“There’s a thought! How about you take Toni to Valentino’s?” Francis suggested. João brightened up a little at the thought.

“That isn’t a bad idea,” he agreed. “I can show him how a real date is supposed to be for the next poor sap he falls in love with.” Francis rolled his eyes at this but sighed.

“You better go get the reservation in place then,” he said. João nodded and grabbed his phone, getting up to walk out the room as he dialed the restaurant. He came back into the room about fifteen minutes later, his chest puffed out proudly.

“Guess who managed to get a reservation for tonight?” he announced. Francis looked up at him in surprise.

“You cannot be serious,” he said. “How did you manage to get that?”

“The person who had the table called right before me and canceled,” João explained.

“I hope they are okay. I’m sure they waited a long time for that reservation,” Francis said, wrinkling his nose.

“Who cares? I already called and reserved a limousine too,” João said as he sat back down on the couch.

“Do you know who the driver will be?” Francis asked. “I hope you didn’t ask for Arthur.”

“Hey, Arthur is not that bad of a guy,” João defended. “I did ask, but he’s busy tonight. They’re giving me a newer driver.”

“Well you don’t ever talk with the drivers anyways,” Francis said. “So at least you will not have to worry about that.”

João rolled his eyes and sighed, staring at his phone. Francis moved over, having to lean up against João to try to get a glimpse of what he was looking at. João gave him an annoyed look and scooted away.

“You know, I got this screen protector for a reason,” he grumbled.

“What’s so bad about me looking at your phone over your shoulder?” Francis whined.

“Everything,” João huffed. “It’s just Antonio’s number anyways. Nothing interesting to look at.”

Francis smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Are you getting cold feet?” he asked.

“No!” João defended quickly, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He cleared his throat and glanced away. “I…just don’t want to deal with him. Because I know he’s going to be too excited and happy to talk with me again and it’s too annoying.”

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” Francis mused.

“No it doesn’t. Distance makes the heart try to find comfort in someone else,” João said bitterly. Francis looked at him in surprise.

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience. Is there someone you haven’t told me about?” he cooed. João glared at him and pressed the call button silently, holding the phone up to his ear. The line only rang once before Antonio answered it. Well, it sounded like it was answered at least, but there was a loud thump and some static on the other end before Antonio’s voice came through.

“João! How-- How have you been?” he asked, sounding breathless.

“Uh...good,” João said slowly, his brows furrowing from worry. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I just-- I got really excited when I saw you calling, and I dropped my phone,” Antonio explained. “Would you like to come over tonight? It’s been a good week, so I can leave Sancho with his dogsitter overnight again.”

“Right,” João said, glancing at Francis with an annoyed look for convincing him to do this. “How about I treat you to a real date instead?”

“A real date? What do you mean? Have the dates we’ve been going on not been enough?” Antonio asked, and João grimaced. The guilt was starting to hit him hard.

“It’s a surprise, just be ready and waiting outside by eight. Dress in the nicest suit you have,” he said. “Please make sure you don’t have any fur from Sancho on you. I’ll come pick you up.” He heard Francis snicker and he gave him an annoyed look.

“Of course! I’m looking forward to it already!” Antonio said. “I’m glad you aren’t busy. I was really worried,” he said, his voice turning softer. João sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.

“Sorry. I’ve been busy with work,” he muttered half-heartedly.

“I know, Francis told me,” Antonio said. João sat up straighter and gave Francis an annoyed look. Francis had a hand clapped over his mouth as he tried his hardest to not laugh. João narrowed his eyes at him and drew a finger along his neck.

“Oh, did I lose you?” Antonio asked. João cleared his throat and looked away from Francis.

“No, no sorry. I got distracted by something,” he said, his fingers digging into the arms of the couch when he heard Francis’ laughing muffled by a pillow. “I have to go now, I’ll see you at eight.” He was about to hang up, but he heard Antonio say something. He held it back up to his ear, not quite hearing what he said.

“Sorry, I did not quite catch that. What did you say?” he asked.

“Um, I-I said I’ll see you then!” Antonio stammered, and João frowned. If there was anything he had learned from his poor dates with Antonio, it was that Antonio was a bad liar. But he didn’t feel like pushing it.

“Yeah. Make sure you’re ready on time,” he said. With that, he hung up and tossed his phone onto the table. He leaned over and smacked Francis upside the head. Francis grinned and sat up as he smoothed his hair back down.

“What was that for?” Francis asked, though his grin told João that he knew exactly what it was for.

“For being a dick,” João retorted. He got up and stretched. “I’m going to go get ready now,” he said. He got up and headed into his room to make sure he would have everything ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is all! Please consider leaving a comment and/or kudos if you liked it, thank you!


	7. The Actual Real Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this was difficult to write. I lost steam halfway through writing the outline, and when I started writing anyways and got to the stop in the outline I didn't know how to continue. But here it is anyways!! I hope you like it (˵◕ ɛ ◕˵✿)

Antonio fiddled with the sleeve of his button down shirt anxiously. He was standing outside of his apartment at seven-thirty instead of eight, he was too nervous to wait up in his apartment. He knew João would show up early anyways. He always was early. He watched in surprise as a limousine rounded the corner and headed down the street. It was strange to see limos around that area of town. There weren’t any large events that he knew of, nobody had mentioned anything to him at his stand, so it must be a private celebration for someone.

What surprised him more was when the limo stopped in front of his apartment and the chauffeur stepped out to open the door. Antonio felt his jaw drop when João stepped out. His hair was slicked back, with not a hair out of place in its ponytail, and he was dressed in a perfectly fitted dark blue suit with a matching blue tie and crisp white shirt. Antonio was sure that if he bent over, he would be able to see his reflection in João’s shoes. He suddenly felt very underdressed with his slightly wrinkled button down that was a little too small on him and khakis over his usual tennis shoes.

João walked over to him and looked him up and down with a grimace. “Don’t you own any suits?” he asked, not even bothering to say hello first. Antonio laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

“No, I-I never need one. This usually is enough,” he admitted sheepishly. João sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You’re lucky I got here early,” he said, grabbing Antonio’s hand and dragging him towards the limo. The chauffeur opened the door for them again and João pushed Antonio in.

“Take us back to Francis’ place,” he said before getting in. The chauffeur gave a silent nod and closed the door behind them. João leaned back in his seat and sighed heavily.

“Why are we going back to Francis’?” Antonio asked.

“Because I have some extra suits, and you’re close enough to my size that it will fit well enough,” João huffed.

“Why do I need a suit anyways? Is this not enough?” Antonio asked as he gestured to his outfit. Sure he wasn’t as fancy as João, but it would still work for the occasion wouldn’t it?

“We’re going to a five star restaurant, and if you show up in that we’re going to both get ridiculed. You for dressing like that and me for allowing you to show up so poorly underdressed,” João reasoned flatly, and Antonio flinched back.

“If you insist,” he mumbled, wringing his hands nervously. Once they got back to Francis’ place, João didn’t even bother waiting until the chauffeur opened the door for them before he got out and pulled Antonio out with him.

“We’ll be back in ten minutes,” he called back to the stunned chauffeur. He dragged Antonio into the elevator. Antonio stayed silent the whole time, not sure what to say. He wasn’t sure if he was meant to apologize or not. After a few too many seconds of awkward silence, he cleared his throat and gave João a sheepish smile.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “For not having a suit.”

“Just be thankful I have extras,” João scoffed. He pulled Antonio into Francis’ penthouse. Francis looked up from the kitchen area and smirked when he saw Antonio’s appearance.

“There is a suit ready for you on the bed,” he said as João strode past him with Antonio in tow.

“Thank you,” João called out to him before shutting his door behind them. Sure enough, there was a simple plain black suit and bowtie waiting on the bed with a white shirt and leather shoes. Antonio silently wondered how many pairs of leather shoes João owned.

“Okay, I’ll be ready in a few--” Antonio cut himself off with a surprised yelp as João turned and started to skillfully unbutton his shirt in record time. “I-- I can dress myself!” he defended, pulling away.

“Oh no, I do not trust you to put that on properly in enough time,” João retorted as he pulled him back to finish unbuttoning the shirt. He tossed the shirt to the side and then knelt down to yank Antonio's pants down. Antonio blushed bright red and covered his face with his hands. There was nothing to be embarrassed about, his boxers were just a plain black, but the fact that João was seeing him almost naked was too much for him to handle.

João on the other hand had a blank expression on his face, not even fazed by Antonio being almost naked. He pulled Antonio's shoes off, then his pants, and he tossed them aside towards his shirt. He grabbed the black pants first.

“Here, put these on,” he instructed, and Antonio stepped into the pants as quickly as he could to try to cover himself up. João zipped them up and buttoned them before sliding a belt on him and tightening it up around him. He then helped Antonio put on the shirt and jacket, buttoning up the shirt quickly and expertly before tying the bow tie around his collar. He pushed the shoes into Antonio's hands.

“Put these on while I find a watch for you,” he said, and Antonio sat down on the edge of the bed to tie the shoes on as João rummaged around in a long box. He held up a watch and looked at Antonio for a moment before putting it back. He repeated this process a couple more times before deciding on a plain silver watch. Or, at least, to Antonio it looked plain silver, but when João brought it over to put it on his wrist his felt his heart stop.

“Are-- Are those real diamonds?” he asked, wheezing slightly. He felt nervous just looking at it.

“Of course they are. You better not break it, it's worth a few thousand,” João scoffed, and Antonio froze.

“M-Maybe I shouldn't wear it,” he stammered

“You have to, it completes the look,” João insisted as he finished clipping it on. He grabbed his brush off of the top of his dresser and went back to Antonio to brush his hair back as quickly as he could. He tossed his brush aside onto the bed and grabbed Antonio’s hand to pull him back out. Francis gave a low whistle when they passed by him.

“Looking handsome you two! Try not to charm the whole restaurant!” he cooed. João laughed softly and winked.

“Ah, but then how would we get discounts?” he joked, and Antonio wondered how João was able to do such a quick change from being stern and blunt to joking around with Francis. Was it just him? He tried to push the thought away as João led him into the elevator again and brought them back down.

When they got outside, he let the chauffeur open the door for them again and let Antonio climb into the limousine on his own before he climbed in after him. Antonio looked down at the watch with a small frown. He was wearing a watch that cost the same as his rent for two months. It wasn’t even the only watch João owned! João looked at his own watch and sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness it’s only 8:45. I booked the reservation for 9:30 since I assumed you were going to be late,” he said, and Antonio frowned slightly. Sure he had been late in picking João up and meeting him somewhere but he tried his best. He was interrupted in his thoughts by João scooting closer and winding an arm around his waist.

“You know, you clean up very nicely,” João purred, pressing a kiss behind his ear. Antonio blushed and tugged weakly at his collar.

“Y-You think so?” he mumbled, glancing at him. João hummed in agreement and leaned against him as he played a game on his phone, his head resting on Antonio’s shoulder. Antonio watched him play with a small smile, glad that he was able to watch him since they were so close. It was entertaining to watch him go through the levels of the puzzle game like it was nothing.

“You’re pretty good at that,” he mumbled.

“Thanks, I play it a lot,” João sighed. “Whenever I get bored.”

“We should hang out more then, so you aren’t bored as much!” Antonio suggested with a small nudge. João didn’t have the heart to tell him that their dates were the times that he played on his phone the most.

The rest of the ride was made in silence, save for João's occasional frustrated sigh or curse under his breath. When they got there, nothing could have prepared Antonio for when the chauffeur opened the door for them to get out. The building was so big and brightly lit that he had to squint as he tilted his head back slightly to look at the top. It was as big, if not bigger, than the building his apartment was in. Antonio wondered if the entire building was even a restaurant.

“Come on, we don't have time for you to gawk,” João retorted as he grabbed Antonio's hand and dragged him inside. Antonio was still squinting as they strolled in, and he looked around sheepishly as João stood tall and proud, as if he owned the place.

“Stand up straight,” João whispered, and Antonio blushed lightly in embarrassment as he straightened up and tried to push away the headache that was forming from the building being so bright.

João strode up to the front desk, a charming smile on his face by the time the hostess there looked up from the desk. The woman brightened up and leaned over the desk slightly.

“João! It's so good to see you again, I was worried something had happened to you, you hadn't been here in so long!” she exclaimed. João laughed softly and shrugged.

“Francis has been getting jobs left and right, someone has to keep him in line to make sure he doesn't overwork himself,” he explained. “I have a reservation at 9:30, can I get it early or is there still someone there?”

“I'll go check for you honey, stay right there and don't get any less handsome,” the woman said, giving him a wink as she walked out. Antonio shifted awkwardly and tugged at his collar.

“She was friendly,” he noted. “Do you know each other?”

“Of course. Francis and I come here all the time together, everyone in the staff knows us,” João explained nonchalantly.

“You and Francis come here alone together?” Antonio asked, understanding a little better why it might be assumed that Francis and João were dating if they went to such a fancy place together often.

“Of course we do, but sometimes Francis comes here without telling me,” João scoffed.

The hostess came back and took João's full attention away before Antonio could point out that Francis should be able to go eat without João since they weren't dating.

“Your table will be ready in a minute, they're cleaning it off for you,” she explained.

“Thank you very much, and may I say thank you for looking so lovely tonight. That dress looks like it was made for you,” João said, letting go of Antonio's hand so he could grab her hand and press a kiss to the back of it. Antonio pushed down the jealousy that flared up in his chest as the woman giggled.

“It's a new dress, I just got it yesterday. You're looking quite handsome too,” she cooed. “What's the occasion?”

“Just a date,” João explained with a small grin, and the woman gasped.

“Oh, how wonderful! Is this your boyfriend then that I've heard about?” she asked.

“You've heard about him already?” João asked, looking at her surprised.

“Of course! Everyone has been talking about it, now that they know you and Francis aren't dating that leaves Francis free and single!” the woman said and turned to Antonio. “What's your name?”

“His name is Antonio,” João cut in with a proud grin. He wrapped his arm around Antonio’s shoulder and winked. “I didn’t realize that news got through so fast. Would you believe he runs a sandwich stand on the side of the road?”

The hostess looked Antonio up and down and smiled. “No, I would have never guessed. You’re dressed very well tonight,” she complimented. Antonio felt very small under her gaze. He was starting to realize that these were people that frequently hung out around celebrities. They and everyone they knew had made it big, had succeeded in life, while he was stuck working on the side of the road making sandwiches.

“I had to dress him. He didn’t even have a suit,” João said with a small laugh, only making Antonio feel worse. Thankfully someone came up and bowed in front of them, cutting the conversation short.

“Your table is ready,” he said, and João brightened up.

“Perfect. Let’s go,” he said. He kept his arm around Antonio’s shoulders as they followed the waiter to their table, which was situated near the middle of one of the many large rooms that made up the restaurant. João let go of Antonio to sit down, and Antonio hesitantly moved to sit in the chair across from him with the thought that the chair alone probably cost more than he made in a month, no, year. Antonio curled in on himself slightly from how nervous he was and he crossed his arms over his chest. He had to be extra mindful of his food and drink, he couldn't afford to replace the chair, or the table cloth.

“Antonio?” João asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. Antonio snapped his head up and looked at him. João looked concerned, and Antonio's heart warmed slightly. Did João see how uncomfortable he was? Were they going to leave after just drinks?

“Sit up straight.”

Oh.

Antonio sighed and straightened his posture and uncrossed his arms. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Maybe if he told João how uncomfortable he was, then he'd understand and they would leave. He smiled weakly at him and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“D-Do you think that we can just have drinks and leave?” he asked.

João gave him a confused and offended look. “Why would we do that?” he asked.

“Because, well…” Antonio hesitated and lowered his voice. “I don't like it here,” he admitted.

“Antonio we just got here, why would you want to leave already?” João scoffed.

“It's too fancy,” Antonio whined. “And everyone around here is too famous and rich. I don't like it”

“Why? We are doing something I like for once. What, can you not handle a date if it isn't your idea?” João hissed softly.

“That-- That's not--”

“What if I told you on all of those boring and stupid dates we went on that I didn't like it and wanted to leave? That's rude, right?” João continued, cutting him off. Antonio noted how quick João was to interrupt him and an uneasy feeling settled in his chest, but he pushed it away.

“If you didn't like it, you could have told me,” he mumbled.

“I needed the attention of us dating out in the open,” João scoffed. Antonio frowned and stayed silent, not wanting to ask what that meant. After several minutes of tense silence between them, he spoke up again.

“Can we still leave after drinks?” he asked sheepishly. João gave him a sharp look.

“Antonio, it's a goddamn miracle we didn't have to wait for a month for this table. I'm not putting it to waste just because you're a little uncomfortable,” he hissed as he opened his menu up. He looked down at it, obviously ending the conversation. Antonio flinched back, wanting to say something, but he didn't want to upset João more, so he hesitantly grabbed the menu and opened it up. He nearly choked on his own spit at the prices. João gave him a small kick under the table and glared at him.

“What?” Antonio asked.

“Don't make such noises,” João scoffed. Antonio frowned but looked back down at the menu silently. Why did João seem so much different here? He was so quiet and polite to him when they were alone.

The waiter came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses, uncorking the bottle and filling the two glasses for them. Antonio expected him to take the wine bottle back, but he set it down and took out his booklet.

“Are you two ready to order?” he asked. Antonio paled and quickly scanned over the menu as João ordered. He found something that looked good, but how was it pronounced? The waiter looked at him expectantly and Antonio panicked.

“Um...T-This,” he said, pointing to it. The waiter rolled his eyes but wrote it down anyways as João sighed heavily in frustration. The waiter took their menus before he bowed and left, and João rubbed his temples.

“Antonio, do you have any idea how rude you are acting?” he asked softly. Antonio sank down in his chair slightly from guilt, but he remembered he was supposed to sit up straight and immediately corrected himself.

“Sorry, I don't like it here,” he mumbled.

“Well you're going to have to deal with it,” João scoffed, grabbing his glass of wine and holding it out for a toast. Antonio sighed and took his glass, gently clinking their glasses together. João smiled as he took a sip of his wine.

“See? Following basic etiquette isn't that hard,” he said. Antonio frowned slightly as he sipped at his wine.

They both stayed silent while they waited for their food, only making Antonio more uncomfortable. João was so easy to talk to at the café, why was this any different? Why wasn't João starting any conversation either? Maybe he was mad at him for messing up so many times. But how to apologize?

Antonio jumped in surprise as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it, earning him another kick from João. However, he ignored the kick when he saw the text was from his dogsitter.

“Antonio,” João whispered, but Antonio still ignored him as he read the text over and over. João gave him another kick to try to get his attention. “Antonio, put your phone away.”

Antonio stuffed his phone in his pocket and looked at João with tear-filled eyes. “João, we need to go. It's Sancho, he-- he’s in the animal hospital, he's having seizures,” he whispered. João looked taken aback by the news, but shook his head and scoffed.

“He's at the hospital, so he’ll be fine. We can't just leave Antonio, we already ordered food,” he whispered.

“João please, he might be dying. I want to be there for him,” Antonio begged, a few tears running down his cheeks. João glanced around, noticing a few people looking over at them. He looked back at Antonio and glared.

“Antonio get a hold of yourself, you're attracting attention,” he growled. “He's just a dog--”

“He's not just a dog João!” Antonio cried, smacking the table and attracting several more glances of disapproval. “He's been there for me ever since I was a teenager! He's always cheered me up when I was sad and gave me company when I was lonely!”

“Antonio lower your voice, people are staring,” João hissed.

“Sancho could be dying, and all you care about is your damn reputation?!” Antonio asked, looking at him heartbroken. “Why does your reputation even matter anyways? You're not famous, you’re just the guy that makes people famous! I bet I could go out onto the street and ask about you, and nobody would know who you are except as the guy that Francis might be dating!”

João looked at him shocked and speechless for a moment before gritting his teeth and glaring coldly at him. “It matters because my reputation is Francis’ reputation!” he insisted.

“Not everything is about what others think João,” Antonio said in exasperation.

“When you work in entertainment it is,” João argued. “The basic qualities you need for a job like yours don't apply to everyone else.”

“A job like mine?! What-- No, I don't have time to talk about this! Sancho could be dying!” Antonio retorted, throwing his hands up and pushing his chair back to stand up.

“Antonio stop being so dramatic, sit back down,” João said, glaring at him. Antonio ignored him though and stormed out, and João sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sank down slightly in his seat and took a long drink of his wine.

“Is everything alright?” the waiter asked, and João sat up straighter.

“Yes, everything is fine,” he grumbled. He sat there for a moment, weighing his options, before sighing and sitting back in his seat as he kept sipping at his wine.

“Actually, no. Just…pack up our food to go okay? With a slice of chocolate cake. Bring it out as quickly as possible,” he sighed.

“Of course. Would you like the bottle to be corked so you can take it as well?” the waiter asked, gesturing to the half finished wine bottle.

“Yes please. Here, take my card and run the bill while it's being finished. Hurry, before I change my mind,” João sighed, handing the waiter his card. The waiter bowed and left with the card.

\--------

Antonio got lost too many times to count in the large restaurant. It didn't help that his tears blurred his vision and made it hard to find where the exit was. Thankfully the woman from the front desk found him and gently guided him outside. Once he was outside he looked around frantically, trying to find their driver. He finally spotted their limo and ran over, knocking frantically on the window until the driver rolled it down.

“Sir please, I was with João. I need you to take me to the animal hospital right now!” he begged.  
“Where is João?” the driver asked, completely stone faced. “I cannot drive you anywhere without his permission.”

“He’s still inside, please it will only be a couple of minutes. You can drop me off and come back before he's done,” Antonio begged.

“I am sorry sir but rules are rules. João is the one that has hired me, I cannot go anywhere without his permission,” the driver insisted.

“My-- My dog might be d-dying! I need to be there for him!” Antonio sobbed, tears streaming down his face. This broke the driver's stone cold appearance as his eyes widened, and he instantly unlocked the doors.

“Get in. Which hospital is he at?” he asked. Antonio sighed in relief.

“The one on Drake road,” he said and he headed into the back to start to climb in, but he stopped as he heard a sharp whistle.

“Hey, where are you going without me? I'm the one paying for the limo,” João shouted, jogging towards them with a paper bag in his arms. Antonio frowned and climbed in, scooting over to make room for João. João climbed in next to him, panting heavily from the exertion of running to catch up to them.

“W-Why are you here? What about y-your ‘reputation’?” Antonio asked coldly, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. He wished he could calm down and stop crying so it sounded more harsh. João sighed and scooted closer to him.

“Well, it's more embarrassing to sit and eat after a companion walks out than to leave early with them. Besides, it's an emergency,” he reasoned, wrapping an arm around Antonio's shoulders, but Antonio shrugged his arm off and pressed up against the other door. João frowned and settled back in his own seat, holding his bag of food close as the limo drove out of the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Yes I know that was a bad place to stop but don't worry, I'm not planning on dying any time soon so this will be continued! It may be slow, but I will eventually see this through to the end.
> 
> Please leave a comment and/or kudos! They help kick my butt into gear to write the next chapter :'v


	8. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy here we go

The next few minutes of the ride was made in silence, tension strung tight between them. João was about to say something, but he looked over and saw Antonio's eyes watering again. It was only a few moments before Antonio burst into tears again, sobbing hard. His mind was racing with all that could go wrong. Sancho was dying, no, he could already be dead before they got there, and it would be all his fault for not paying closer attention to Sancho. But then again, Sancho hadn't been acting any differently before that.

João hesitated as he watched Antonio break down, not sure what to do. He wasn't good with comforting people, he never needed to. That wasn't his job. Sure when Francis didn't get a role he really wanted he was over dramatic and moped, but some alcohol and baking together fixed that easily enough. He couldn't produce a bottle of wine and baking ingredients and a stove from nowhere. So he pulled out his phone and tapped away at it.

Antonio gripped his arms, feeling very alone. Didn't João care? He started to hyperventilate, too worried about Sancho and crying too hard to breathe right. João noticed this and frowned more, worry starting to grow more in his chest. He scooted over and wrapped his arm around Antonio's shoulders.

“Hey, you don't want Sancho’s last thoughts of you to be you looking so sad, do you?” he asked. Antonio sniffled and buried his face in the crook of João’s neck as he sobbed. João sighed and rubbed Antonio's shoulder and upper arm to try to soothe him. It slowly worked, and Antonio calmed down just as they were pulling into the hospital’s parking lot. He didn't even bother waiting until the driver stopped completely before he pushed his way out of the limo and stumbled his way into the hospital. João sighed and moved over to close the door before he pressed the intercom button.

“I apologize, ah…what was your name again?” he asked. The driver’s voice crackled through a moment later.

“Ludwig,” the driver said.

“Ah yes, Ludwig. I apologize for Antonio. This is most likely going to take a few minutes. How about you go find somewhere close by to park that won't draw too much attention?” João suggested. “I will give you a call when we need to be driven back.”

“Understood.”

João left the car and casually strolled inside the hospital as the limo pulled out of the parking lot. He sighed at seeing that Antonio wasn't in the lobby. He went up to the receptionist, hoping he didn't look nearly as tired and annoyed as he felt.

“Was there a man named Antonio that was just in here?” he asked. “I'm his friend, I drove him here.”

The receptionist gave him a small smile and nodded. “Right through that door,” she said, pointing to a door off to the side. João thanked her softly and went to the door, pushing it open slowly to peek inside. His heart broke at seeing Antonio on the ground, his face buried into Sancho’s side as he sobbed and hugged him. He pushed his way inside, feeling his own eyes sting slightly from pity. He ignored the other two people in the room and went straight to Antonio.

“Antonio, I'm so sorry,” he whispered, kneeling down next to Antonio and resting a hand on his back. Antonio immediately moved from Sancho to cling tightly to João as Sancho lifted his head up and his tail wagged. João stared in a mix of surprise and confusion.

“He's going to be alright, the doctors said that the food Feli was giving him had been recalled because it was giving dogs seizures,” Antonio mumbled, pulling away and sniffling. João looked up at the other two, and one of the men sniffled and waved weakly.

“I'm F-Feliciano,” he mumbled. “I'm so sorry, I didn't know—”

“It's okay Feli,” Antonio assured him, rubbing his eyes. “I'm just glad that Sancho is alright.”

João stared wide-eyed at everyone, and it wasn't until Sancho shuffled over to lick his cheek that he snapped out of his thoughts. Anger flared up in him and he gritted his teeth.

“So we had a big scare for nothing?” he asked, pulling away and standing up.

“It wasn't nothing. Seizures can be very serious, Sancho is lucky,” the other man, who João reasoned was the vet, explained.

“Antonio do you realize how big of a scene we created over nothing?” João scoffed, ignoring him.

“My dog could have been dying João,” Antonio defended, looking at him hurt.

“But he wasn't! He was completely fine!” João said, his frustration only growing with the tension in the room. Feliciano and the vet were starting to get visibly uncomfortable.

“We do not know for sure that he's completely fine,” the vet spoke up. “He will need to be watched closely for a while to make sure he did not experience any trauma.”

“But he wasn't dying! We stormed out of a five star restaurant and probably completely ruined my reputation over something that wasn't even an emergency!” João snapped, glaring at the vet.

“João how could you be so cold?” Antonio asked, starting to get teary-eyed again.

“How could you be so casual about what we just did?!” João shot back.

“Shouldn't you be here to support me even though it was a false alarm?” Antonio asked, his voice wavering.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because it's what people who love each other do!”

“When did I ever say I loved you?”

A tense, uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Antonio stared up at João wide-eyed, tears starting to spill over his cheeks. João stared back, his face stone cold. The silence hung in the room for what seems like an eternity, until Antonio broke it with a sob.

“W-What do you mean?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer. In his mind he was begging for João to grin and say he was joking, to hug him and kiss him and promise that he loved him more than anything else in the world. But instead all he got was the same cold stare.

“I mean that I never said that I loved you. You were just assuming, and that's your fault,” João scoffed. The vet quietly excused himself, with Feliciano following close behind. Antonio and João paid them no mind.

“But why then would you— would you date m-me?” Antonio asked, looking up at him in a mix of heartbreak and confusion.

“Publicity. The paparazzi had been bothering me nonstop because they thought I was dating Francis. Now that they know I'm not, or that I'm possibly having an affair on him, the story isn't interesting enough anymore so they leave me alone,” João explained flatly, inspecting his nails. Antonio only sobbed harder.

“I— I had n-never fallen so hard f-for anyone,” he sobbed. “And it— it meant nothing to you?”

“I didn't ask for you to fall in love with me,” João scoffed.

“Yes you did!” Antonio cried, anger starting to flare up in his chest now too. “You don't— You don’t date someone that you don’t love!”

“Some of us do. You wouldn't understand,” João sighed, waving him off. The way that Antonio was looking up at him made his chest hurt a little, but he easily pushed it away. It was for the best, anyways.

“Oh I w-wouldn't understand?!” Antonio snapped, trying to glare at him through his tears. He knew he would be more threatening if he stopped crying, but he couldn't stop hiccuping.

“You aren't a person that—” João stopped himself before he finished the sentence, hesitating briefly. For once, he felt at a loss of words. Antonio seemed to know what he was about to say though, and he stood up and stepped closer to him.

“I'm not what?” he growled, sniffling right afterwords. Curse him and his sensitive heart. “I’m not a person that people care about? I'm not a person that matters?” he continued. He felt a small spark of triumph at seeing João flinch back at the last word.

“That's not what I meant!” he defended.

“Oh? Then what did you mean? Because I find it _hilarious_ that someone like you would be judging me for not mattering!” Antonio snapped, watching João’s reaction closely. Being around people so much, it was easy for him to read body language if he focused.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” João muttered. Antonio noticed João’s shoulders tense up and his frown deepen. Ah, there's a weak spot. _Time to hurt him as much as he hurt me_ , Antonio thought.

“Why do you lie to yourself so much?” Antonio asked. “You're a nobody compared to Francis. Sure, you find potential jobs for him, but who cares about that? I’m sure he could find jobs on his own.”

”That has nothing to do with this,” João hissed, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Competent agents have more than just one client that they babysit,” Antonio taunted. He felt a boost at hearing Sancho growl behind him, and João scoffed and took a step back.

“If you are only going to try to make cheap low blows, then I am not wasting my time here,” he retorted. “Find your own damn ride home.”

With that, he turned sharply on his heel and stalked out, his shoulders hunched slightly. Antonio sighed deeply and knelt down next to Sancho.

“I'm glad you're okay Sanchito,” he murmured, ruffling his ears. Sancho panted happily and gave his cheeks several licks. Antonio laughed weakly, hugging him around the neck.

“Don't worry about him, it only means good things for you now. You get to sleep on my bed with me again,” he assured him.

João dialed the driver, whose name he had already forgotten, on his way out of the animal hospital, not even paying a glance to Feliciano and the vet that were chatting with the receptionist. The driver thankfully picked up almost immediately.

“He—”

“It was a waste of time, the dog is completely fine,” João retorted. If he had been paying more attention, he would have noticed the driver’s sigh of relief. “Come pick me up right now,” he demanded. He hung up without another word and stepped out into the cool night air. He waited outside, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited. Thankfully the limo pulled up soon after, and João got in.

“Are we waiting for—”

“No, we aren't,” João interrupted. “Just take me back to Francis’.”

The driver hesitated for a moment before speaking again through the intercom. “Do you mind if I go inside and see the dog?” he asked. João glared coldly at the intercom, as if it could carry his annoyance through it. He was tempted to tell him no, but he was too tired to care anymore.

“Do whatever the hell you want, but be quick,” he grumbled. The driver quickly parked the limo and locked the doors, and João watched him stiffly walk inside, obviously trying to stay composed through his excitement. João didn't understand what all the fuss was about, it was just a dog. He scoffed and slumped in his seat, pulling out his phone to play his game some more.

“I'm not incompetent,” he grumbled under his breath. He was tempted to lodge a complaint with the limo company for the driver’s lack of professionalism, but waved the thought away. He was a new driver, he could be allowed a few mistakes. _Maybe Antonio should have been allowed a few mistakes too. He was new to the experience of fine dining_ , he thought, but quickly waved it off too. He had given Antonio plenty of warnings that he was being rude and yet he still continued to act up. That was his own fault.

Antonio was just starting to lead Sancho out of the room with Feliciano behind him when he noticed João’s driver walk in. He was even more surprised when the driver made a beeline for him and stood up straight and cleared his throat. Antonio was frightened and flinched back slightly. Was he João’s security guard too? Was he going to be beaten up for saying what he said to João?

“May I pet your dog?” the driver asked. Antonio took a moment to process what he said, and then brightened up. Maybe João hadn't told him what happened. He certainly didn't seem to know.

“Oh, o-of course you can! His name is Sancho, he is very friendly,” he said, stepping back to let Sancho come forward and sniff at the new person curiously. The driver knelt down and gently scratched behind Sancho’s ears.

“Is it okay to give him treats?” he asked.

“Of course!” Antonio assured him. “By the way, my name is Antonio. This is Feliciano, my dog sitter.”

“It's nice to meet you. I am Ludwig,” the driver responded as he pulled out a treat from the inside of his suit jacket to feed it to Sancho. Antonio was surprised he would carry dog treats around.

“Do you have to deal with dogs often on the job?” he asked, thinking maybe it was similar to how postmen carry treats around.

“No, but I keep treats on me in case I see a dog,” Ludwig explained, and he ruffled Sancho’s ears. “He's very well trained. He reminds me of my own golden retriever, Berlitz.”

“Oh! You have a dog too?” Antonio asked, kneeling down to scratch Sancho’s back.

“I have three. Blackie, Berlitz, and Aster,” Ludwig said, and immediately paused in petting Sancho to pull out his phone. He pulled up an album of pictures that was filled with pictures of three dogs, all doing various cute things. Feliciano knelt down next to Antonio to look at the pictures as they both cooed over how cute they were.

“They look very well taken care of!” Feliciano noted. “You must leave them with a good caretaker while you're at work!”

“I leave them at home with my brother. I don't trust others to take care of them properly,” Ludwig explained sternly. Feliciano squeaked slightly at the dark look Ludwig gave him, and he flinched back briefly before straightening up again and pulling out his wallet to hold out a business card.

“Well, if you ever do need a dog sitter, I'm always available,” he offered. Ludwig sighed and pocketed the card.

“Thank you, I will keep it in mind,” he said, and gave Sancho one last scratch behind the ears before he stood up and brushed off his lap. “I wish I could stay more, but I'm sure João is getting impatient.”

Antonio took hold of Sancho’s leash again and stood up to offer Ludwig a handshake. He was surprised at how firmly Ludwig grasped his hand and shook it once with a curt nod.

“If you would like, I can come back to escort you to your house after I am finished with João,” he offered.

“Ah, no. That's fine, I'll uh…Feli is it okay if you take me back home?” he asked.

“Of course! I can drive you back,” Feliciano assured him.

“Well, it was good meeting you then,” Antonio said, turning back to Ludwig.

“You as well,” Ludwig said before turning and leaving. He got back into the limousine, not caring that he was now covered in Sancho’s fur. João was the only one he was assigned to drive that night anyways. He hesitated briefly before turning on the intercom.

“Er, thank you. For letting me see Sancho,” he said stiffly. João gave an annoyed grunt in response. Ludwig started up the car without another word, hesitating only briefly when he noticed Antonio walking out of the hospital. He sighed and drove off as João sulked in the back of the limo. Once they pulled up in front of the building that Francis lived in, João sighed and got out with his bag from Valentino’s to go to the front of the car.

“They've got my card saved in the system, just say it's for João Medeiros and they'll know who to charge it to. They know my usual tip amount too so don't worry about it,” he said flatly. The driver frowned and straightened up a little.

“I can charge your card here now if you'd like—” he offered, and João rolled his eyes.

“Look, Francis and I have been getting driven around by your company ever since Francis started making it big. They know where we live, they know almost everything about me,” he explained flatly, not in the mood to deal with a nervous rookie. “I'm not trying to scam you. Hell, they may have already charged my card. So just go.” He turned and walked inside the building, ignoring the driver’s attempt at getting him back so he could charge him on the spot instead. He was too tired from everything to even bother telling Francis what happened when he trudged into his penthouse.

He could feel the inquisitive stare that Francis was giving him as he stuck the bag of food into the fridge, but only gave him a half hearted wave as he shuffled into his room. He went through the routine of getting ready for bed, wondering why he had a sinking feeling in his chest. It was for the best after all, if he hadn't told Antonio now then he may have gotten attached more and it would have been harder to break up with him.

——

Antonio sighed as he got into Feliciano’s car once Sancho got into the back. “Thank you again for driving me Feli,” he mumbled.

“It's no problem! I'm sorry for bringing your dog to the hospital over nothing,” Feliciano sighed as he started the car up and drove out of the parking lot.

“No, you did the right thing. I don't mind the bill, I'm glad Sancho is fine,” Antonio assured him, reaching back and scratching Sancho’s back as Sancho stuck his head out the window. “Don't worry about what João said. It could have been worse and we wouldn't have known.”

“Was João your boyfriend that you were talking about?” Feliciano asked softly.

“I don't think he's my boyfriend anymore,” Antonio mumbled. “At least, I hope he isn't.”

“Oh,” Feliciano said. “Well, it's probably for the best. He seemed like kind of a dick.”

“I didn't realize it until now but yes, he was,” Antonio said with a small nod.

The rest of the ride was made in tense silence, neither of them knowing how to bring up a different topic easily. The only sound in the car was the wind blowing in through the open window and Sancho’s happy panting. Antonio turned around to give his back another scratch. He was glad Sancho was alright.

Once they got back to the apartment, Antonio took hold of Sancho’s leash again and leaned down slightly to wave at Feliciano through the open window.

“Thank you again for the ride,” he said.

“No problem! Hopefully Sancho feels better!” Feliciano said, waving back at him before driving off. Antonio turned and took Sancho up to his apartment, unhooking his leash when he closed the door behind them. Sancho followed him until Antonio got to his room, then stopped and laid down obediently on the tiny, cheap bed Antonio bought for him since João wouldn't let Antonio have Sancho on the bed anymore. Antonio's heart broke a little more at seeing Sancho’s deep brown eyes staring up at him.

“Sancho, come,” he said, gesturing for him to follow as he walked into his bedroom. Sancho instantly bounded up and past him to leap up onto the bed, circling a few times before plopping down in his usual spot. Antonio smiled warmly and scratched behind his ears.

“I'm sure you're glad he's gone now huh?” he murmured. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was happy too. He laid down on the bed, and his mind wandered to all of the vulnerable moments he and João shared. He couldn't help but think of the times they spent pressed up against each other on the bed, laughing at all of the bad parts in movies that Antonio rented with what little money he had. He thought back a little more clearly to them, and realized he should have seen it coming. He was the only one that suggested their dates, and João always seemed distracted while on them. No, not distracted. Uninterested. Bored. But was he really? They had a good time at the coffee shop. João was impressed by the roses he had gotten him, that much was clear. He hadn't even used his phone much on that date.

Antonio growled and turned over. No, that didn't matter anymore. None of it did. Despite his constant attempts to reassure himself, it couldn't stop more tears from spilling over his cheeks. He didn't even bother getting up to take off his suit and watch. He was tempted to rip the suit to shreds and crush the watch with a hammer, but fear of João coming back and fining him for it and lingering feelings for him kept him from doing so. He instead cried until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarification, the story isn't even half over at this point. Hell, it's probably not even a third over. There's a lot of stuff still bound to happen, yes the end goal is still spaport, please don't kill me ;-;
> 
> Regardless, please still consider leaving a comment or a kudos, even if the comment is just pure screaming I'll enjoy it. If you need something to cheer up after this chapter, there's a one shot I just posted that is literally extremely self indulgent fluff because even I got depressed writing this chapter.


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